Chapter 1: Hello, Darling!
by DunggeolBreaker
Summary: Set in an AU where squad 13 are just your average teens. See how each of their stories unfold as they transition from youth to adulthood. Used to be named "Darling in the FranXX: High School Drama" R&R!
1. Chapter 1

DARLING IN THE FRANXX HIGH!

Chapter 1: Car Ride

"Hey gramps, how much longer?"

A girl with long hair the same shade of cherry blossoms yawned heavily at the back of the car. It was a little quarter to seven as they travelled smoothly towards their destination.

Said girl stretches her sore limbs, eliciting a quiet moan from her rose colored lips. Adjusting her seating, her eyes dart towards the car's driver.

The driver was a burly looking man, probably in his 40's, wearing some suit and tie, dark shades, and a funny looking gadget stuck in his left ear. He had on a stoic expression plastered on his face as he navigated the vehicle through the busy road of Mistiltienn.

Hurling herself forward, she grabs hold of the driver's seat and casually asks, "Hey, do YOU know how long this ride will take?" attempting at least some small talk from this scary looking man.

The man merely moves an inch, not bothering to answer her question. In frustration, she lets out a loud 'huff!' and proceeds to look out of the car's window with a small pout on her face.

"Impatient as ever, aren't you now?" A rugged voice beside her chuckles. She glances at the old man she called 'gramps' earlier with a tinge of feigned annoyance. He was an eccentric looking man in his 70's with half his face covered in metallic armor, making his resemblance akin to an android of some sort.

She vaguely remembered asking him why he'd look the way he is and he'd answer nonchalantly he'd been involved in some accident which required him to wear such thing.

"Well, who wouldn't be!" She puffs, hands moving in a frustrated manner. "I've just arrived from the airport last night, and now you want me to accompany you to school this early?" True enough, the poor girl just arrived from her vacation in America last night and probably had some terrible jet lag. Blame her older sister for booking her flight a freaking day before her first day of school.

The old man just laughs, a tinge of robotic vibrato emitting from it. It too was a side effect of his android like state.

"Well, you ARE the granddaughter of Dr. Frank Werner" His voice laced with a hint of pride for himself. "Headmaster of FRANXX high."

The girl rolls her eyes in response. "Still! Why does it have to be so early? School starts in, like, an hour and a half" She questioned.

"Well, if it really bothers you, we have an opening ceremony to attend to." The doctor explains to her in a 'matter-of-fact' manner.

Huffing for like, the nth time this morning, the pink haired girl once again turns her gaze towards the car's window when suddenly, a flash of pink petals grabbed her attention. Time seemed to slow down for her as her eyes stared up at a huge sakura tree being held by metal poles, at the top of a hill.

With an unknown emotion filling her chest, she tears her eyes away from the lone tree and stares down at her red muffler she's been holding onto since the start of this ride. 'It's been awhile..' she thinks solemnly to herself. Suddenly, an idea flashes through her mind.

There's a hopeful glint in her teal colored irises, 'What if…-"

"Hats are forbidden at the campus you know." Her grandpa chimes, breaking her out of her thoughts. Waving him off, she tells him "I know that gramps, you don't have to remind me that!" Her lips curl into a toothy grin, revealing her canines that are sharper than normal.

But the doctor has this knowing look on his face. 'Until know, she's still conscious about it..' As he prepares himself to speak, the car they were riding on suddenly comes to a halt.

"We are here, sir" The driver speaks up.

In front of them was a high building with a modern design seemingly patterned to a bird nest. The school's crest greatly shined on top of the building's exterior.

The school, known for being one of the top prestigious schools here in Mistilteinn for it's offers of high class education in the fields of various intelligence was known as 'FRANXX High'.

However, before the doctor could even react, he hears the car door slam shut abruptly, leaving him alone with his silent driver.

"Ah, that troublesome young lady.." He sighs to himself.

Exiting as well, he sees his pink haired granddaughter heading towards the opposition direction from the school. He wonders to himself just where did she plan on going?

Shaking his head, he can't help but think what a handful this child was.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Hiro

' _The Jian is also known as "The bird that shares wings." It's said that it can't even fly unless a male and female support each other. They're pitiful creatures. Until it finds a partner, it must hide among the tree leaves, wait with bated breath.'_

.

.

.

Or so that's what Hiro had read in a book a long, long time ago.

"Silly stuff like that doesn't exist." He tells himself.

It was past 6:30 in the morning when he started getting up from bed. With his mind still groggy and body heavy from sleep, he stands up shakily and walks towards his window sill. The outside world was obscured from his vision due to the blinds tightly shut.

Peeking through, sunlight rushes in his dark room, the blinding light leaving him squinting uncomfortably. He shuts off the blinds and sit back down on his bed, sighing. With nothing to do, Hiro sits and stares blankly at the dark colored walls of his room.

' _It's the first day of senior high, huh..'_

To the others, it must be super exciting to enter that stage of high school. Getting to meet new friends and being granted more freedom and independence is a blast, especially when you're one step closer to becoming an adult; but for Hiro, it didn't evoke any kind of strong feelings within him. For him, it was just any other day.

Sometimes, he wonders why he thinks that way.

He doesn't quite understand, but he feels like something's missing, like, there was a big, gaping hole in his chest waiting to be filled to a brim. Sometimes, he feels like he's missing his own purpose in living.

' _Im better off dead anyway, I guess.'_

How many times have he tried taking his own life through various means, only to be stopped by his best friend, Goro?

There are times where Hiro wonders when did he become such a pessimistic person? Back then, he was praised by almost everyone around him for being, what they claimed, a "prodigy." Adults saw his potential in becoming a natural leader because of his overflowing charisma and deep thinking, as much as a child could ever come off as. Kids like him followed him around because they found his way of seeing things 'cool' and 'inspiring.' Most would label him as 'Optimistic', 'Energetic' and 'Brave.'

Hiro also vaguely remembers his younger self being full of wonder; asking lots of questions about the world and his surroundings.

But as the years went by, that young boy full of life slowly died, leaving a former shell of himself behind, albeit bigger and older.

Perhaps younger Hiro's shine burned too brightly, it burnt out all at once. Perhaps it was the continuous pressure he's gotten by people surrounding him. That pressure to keep on being this 'perfect' image everyone loved. Perhaps all these idolizing and praise left him feeling empty rather than full; exhausted rather than motivated.

Hiro felt that this perfect image slowly broke him apart, leaving him questioning if this sort of 'perfection' was the mere thing giving meaning to his life?

He hated that. And he hated himself for it.

So here he was, a guy who is labelled as a 'wasted potential.' No more was the never ending songs of praise, rather, all he heard from now on was the whispers of distaste and disappointment- not that it actually mattered to him though.

Meanwhile, his parents and friends have repeatedly shown concern towards his growing apathy toward his life, but honestly, he couldn't even give a damn.

How could he, when he was in too deep now to even care about himself?

Reeling him back to the real world, he hears his best friend-slash-roommate call out to him from the other side.

"Oi, Hiro! Better get up or we'll be late for school!" Goro yells loud enough for him to hear.

Letting out an inaudible groan, he answers with a yell of his own, " You go on ahead without me! I...I've got something to do." To be honest, that was just a lame ass excuse for him to stay in bed a little longer, or perhaps skip the whole "first day" instructions and just do nothing in particular.

When he hear Goro agree to his words, he could hear the faint closing of their apartment's door. Standing up once more to peer from the blinds, he sees his friend clad in their school uniform approach a petite bluenette, Ichigo, before heading to school. Hiro's eyes then wander to the lone sakura tree that stood out on top of the hill. The tree was considered to be over a millennium old, with it's thick branches being supported with metal pole beams.

' _Weird that it never stops blooming even after spring..'_ He wonders, recounting all the times he've seen the never ending fall of sakura petals during the other seasons.

But just like that, he gets the sudden urge to climb that hill and see the sakura up close. It was surprising, even for him, since he never felt the need to see the flowers before.

In fact, he has never went up to that hill in his whole 16 years of existence.

Until now, that is.

With this new found curiosity budding within him, it looks like Hiro was about to spend the day out after all.


	3. Chapter 3: Fated Encounter

Putting on his school jacket, Hiro decides to visit the old sakura tree once before heading to school. Besides, he had no plans attending the school's opening ceremony.

It's always been like that for him since 6th grade.

Not bothering to get any form of breakfast from the kitchen's pantry, Hiro rushes outside and unchains his bike before heading out to his planned destination.

For once, he had a foreboding anticipation that something good will happen the moment he steps foot on top of that hill.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Hmm..it's gotten quite bigger from what I remember…" The girl with pink hair had her hand on her chin and stared at the tree with a thoughtful expression that was soon replaced with awe and a tinge of adoration.

"It's still as beautiful as before.." Her voice came out softer than usual, as a gentle breeze had the sakura petals gracefully floating around her, some getting stuck on her hair.

And of course, she doesn't notice this because of how transfixed she was with the millennium old tree before her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Pedaling as fast as he can, Hiro could see the hill getting closer in perspective, however he wasn't feeling really keen on hiking up the hill after a tiring bike ride.

He openly admits that even when he was deemed as a 'prodigy', he was weak when it came to physical activities.

Even so, that wouldn't stop him from seeing the Sakura tree in person; especially since he has just arrived just below the hill's base.

Eyeing the staircase which could lead him to the very top, he can't help but feel the foreboding he had earlier grow even stronger. With a deep and shaky breath, Hiro grabs onto the rails and begins his ascent towards the top.

Little did he know, there was someone who was about to change his whole life.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

At FRANXX high, a petite girl with short blue hair clipped to a side with a clip resembling a white bird, was leaning against the wall next to a taller, more masculine figure with glasses and blonde hair styled into an undercut. She had a serious expression on her face while texting profusely on her phone.

"Ichigo" The blonde guy tried getting her attention.

"Yeah, Goro?" The girl, Ichigo, answered, looking up from her phone.

"Did you get a hold of Hiro yet?" He asks and she shakes her head, a small frown on her lips as she returns her gaze back to her phone.

"Nope. Not a trace." Growing more and more exasperated by the minute, Ichigo let's out a small huff.

"That idiot.."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

He's astonished.

Instead of the Sakura tree, he's attention is towards a girl, probably the same age as he was, sleeping peacefully under the tree.

Unconsciously taking small steps towards her, Hiro finds himself hovering above the girl, his aquamarine orbs widening in awe as he took in her whole appearance.

Out of all the girls he has seen his whole life, it was without a doubt this sleeping girl right here was the most beautiful maiden he has ever laid eyes upon. He immediately noticed just how vibrant her pink hair was and how it seemed to match the sakura petals falling gently around her.

' _She looks like an angel..'_ and for some reason, his heart seems to beat faster than normal.

He noted how her face wasn't as round as the other girls; in fact, it was sharper and more toned, accentuating her high cheekbones dusted with a light blush. Her lips were plump and had rosy with just a small amount of gloss applied and he can't help but wonder what her lips would taste like, making him turn even redder than he could ever get.

She also seemed to be wearing his school's uniform, making him silently hope they'd be actual classmates. Also, she had a red muffler wrapped tightly around her neck which he found quite odd, considering winter has already ended.

However, after further examining the sleeping girl before him, he notices something red protruding from her hair, which made her FAR more different than any girl he has ever seen, indeed.

His eyes widen as he realizes what those actually were,

' _T-they're..!'_

"Quit staring." The girl suddenly spoke. Her voice was as silky as velvet, sending a chill to Hiro's spine. She gives him a questioning look as teal orbs bore into his aqua one's.

The color of her eyes seems to accentuate the red eye liner she was wearing.

Hiro backs away nervously, failing to notice the protruding root behind him. Unfortunately, he trips on his bottom and finds the girl now standing right above him.

"I-I.." He's at a loss for words and is sweating nervously. He felt embarrassed for staring at her.

With an amused expression on her face, she extends a hand to him, which he shakily accepts, and pulls him back to his feet. Now that they were standing eye to eye, he can't help but feel even more embarrassed, especially since it looks like she's an inch taller than him.

"Never seen a girl with horns, huh?" She asks.

"No..-I mean..I..I wasn't staring at it!" The girl cocks her head to the side, her amusement growing stronger by the second.

"Oh? Then why were you staring then?" Hiro finds his face heating up once more as he struggles to speak. Deciding to tease him a little, she playfully point an accusing finger towards him. "I get it...you're a pervert!"

Hiro gasps in surprise. _'Me? A pervert? No way!'_ However, a part of him was nagging him that yes, you were somewhat a pervert for staring at her for too long.

Finding that the boy seemed to grow uncomfortable, the pink haired girl chuckles and sits on a nearby bench, beckoning him to sit beside her. Hiro reluctantly complies.

"You know, I was just kidding. No need to get all worked up." she grins at him. "In fact, to show you I have no hard feelings-" the girl then fumbles through her pockets before holding out some candy. "Here, have one."

Since he hadn't gotten anything for breakfast, he decides to help himself with the candy she was offering, uttering a small thank you. As he unwrapped the candy and plopped in his mouth, his taste buds were instantly assaulted with a sickly sweet taste

TOO SWEET FOR HIS LIKING!

Choking back a cough, he asks through strained breathing. "W..what was that flavor?"

"Hrm?'She says, a lollipop placed between her lips. "It's chocolate maple red bean flavor."

"E-eh?!" What kind of flavor was that?

' _But somehow, it feels like I've tasted something like this before…'_

The girl looks back at him with a rather innocent look on her face.

"Why? Would you have preferred the sugar cube flavor?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Not long after, they found themselves both relaxing in each other's presence as they talked about anything they could think about. For Hiro, he was enjoying every minute he spends with this pink haired girl.

A feeling he hasn't felt in a very long time.

"By the way, is it okay if I ask about your horns?" He had a feeling that this might be a sensitive subject for her, since you don't usually see a person with horns everyday.

"Mm? Well you see, I've been diagnosed with something called 'Klaxxosis.'" She glanced at him as he urged her to continue.

"It's when your body produces this large amount of yellow blood cells, they solidify into what looks like horns." She ends her brief explanation by giving her red horns a light poke.

"Do they hurt?" She shakes her head. "Nope."

"O-oh.." Hiro feels his lips tug into a smile, something he does very rarely. "You know, I never expected to see someone with actual horns.."

A slight pang hits her in the heart "Does it scare you?" She manages to ask.

"Not really..I think they're-" He pauses a bit, his face heating up as he think of the right words to say.

' _Beautiful?'_

' _Captivating?'_

' _Breathtaking?'_

"-alluring." He finishes.

They're quiet for a while, until he feels something wet graze upon his cheek. He lets out a startled yelp when he realizes that she just licked him. With a cheeky grin, she comes closer.

"Your taste, it makes my heart race." He's a bit confused. "My..taste?"

She makes a reaffirming sound. "Yeah, it bites and it lingers..you taste like danger."

"I don't think I'm much of a dangerous person." Hiro sweats.

She lets out a light chuckle before standing up and twirling to face him.

"You know what, I've taken a liking to you. I feel like we're the same and…" Her teal eyes soften.

"You weren't frightened of my horns…"

Extending out a hand to him once more, she says.

"Would you like to be my darling?"

His heartbeat quickens at the word. Such a sweet and intimate word it was..

..darling..

To be honest, he kind of liked it.

Before Hiro could answer, he felt his pocket vibrating. Grabbing his phone, he sees Ichigo's name on it. Answering, he was immediately greeted by her intense scolding over how he was missing the opening ceremony, making him wince.

Once she hangs up, he heaves out a heavy sigh. He knew that once Ichigo got mad, she'll be nagging him relentlessly to no end.

"Looks like I'll have to go." He stares sadly at the girl before him. "Aren't you going to the opening ceremony as well?"

She shrugs. "Nah, those things get pretty boring, if I must say."

' _Wow..'_ Hiro can't help but be amazed over how free spirited and rebellious this girl was.

..this girl…

"Oh, I almost forgot!" He exclaimed, realization dawning on his face. He turned once more to the girl, who was a bit surprised over his sudden outburst.

"My name is Hiro, how about you?"

' _..Hiro..'_

A smirk appearing on her sharp features, she walks past him and begins to descend the hill's stairs.

One step.

Two steps.

"H-hey!" Hiro calls out, a sense of fear washing over him, thinking he'll never have the chance to talk to her like this ever again.

.

.

.

"..Two."

His ears perk up, hearing her say something in a quiet voice. The girl, with her pink hair dancing along the sakura in the breeze, faces him with a small smile etched on those rosy pink lips of hers.

"My name...they call me Zero Two."

' _Zero Two..'_ He wonders over how strange it was for a name to be based on numbers, but somehow, that name seems to fit this peculiar, yet captivating girl he's just met.


	4. Chapter 4: New Student

"Yankee killer?"

A boy with a rather large and plump physique and auburn hair asked curiously, his mouth had a few leftover crumbs with the bread he's been munching on.

"Ah, they said she goes all apeshit fighting with some damn delinquents here in Mistilteinn." Another boy, albeit much shorter, answered in a gruff tone. The younger boy had messy, dirty blonde hair and piercing lavender eyes. Standing next to him with hands place on her waist in a haughty manner is a girl almost the same height as him who had vermillion hair tied into twin tails. Coincidentally, both of them had ahoges on top of their heads, making them look like siblings.

"Also, I heard the girl has ACTUAL horns and fangs! Must be why she's also called 'The Red Demon'!" The short boy exclaims, his fingers mimicking the shape of horns on top of his head, making the chubbier one laugh in amusement.

The red haired girl scoffs beside him. "And where'd you get all that nonsense, you big dolt?" She challenged, sarcasm laced in her voice.

"I heard it from the upper class men, duh!" The boy sticks his tongue out, making the girl roll her eyes at the childish action.

"And you believed all that? Jeez Zorome, never thought you'd be the type to listen to rumors!"

With both their ahoges seemingly having a mind of its own, the taut hair strands battle for dominance, and truth be told, static can almost be seen between the two ahoges.

"Oh won't you just quit it Miku? It's too early for yer' damn nagging!"

"Oho, is that so? Well, it's too early for you stupidi-"

Thankfully, before the fight could get any worse, a young woman with long, wavy, ash blonde hair approaches them with a soft, yet stern look on her pretty face.

"Now you two, let's try and get along with each other." The young couple glare at each other one last time before breaking apart from their small squabble. Instantly, the red haired girl, Miku, beams at the blonde woman before enveloping her into a tight hug.

"Kokoro! I missed you!"

Kokoro smiles and returns Miku's hug. "I missed you too Miku!"

"Kokoro chan!" The plump boy from earlier exclaims, his cheeks dusted with red. Instantly, the two girls pull away from their hug, Miku looking a bit unamused by the sudden interference.

"Hello Futoshi kun, do you need anything?" Kokoro asks, tilting her head.

"U-um.. I've made these for you.." Futoshi stutters, handing her a bento full of bread, giving her a nervous smile.

"They're anpan. (Red bean buns)"

The buns smelled heavenly and were a golden brown in color, as well as perfectly rounded. Also, the bread's top seemed to be branded with a heart design. Seeing how much effort he put with his baked creation, Kokoro sends him a sweet smile and reaches for a piece.

"Thank you, Futoshi kun." Taking a small bite, Kokoro notes on how soft its texture was, and how it had just the right amount of red bean inside it. "Wow! This tastes really good!" She compliments.

"Really?" Futoshi's heart flutters. "W-well then, I'll make lots and lots for you from now on!" He loudly declares, making Kokoro giggle over his enthusiasm.

"Oi, no fair!" Zorome cuts in, destroying their moment. "I want one too, Fatty!" He says while trying to take a bread bun from Futoshi's bento.

"Quit calling me that!" Futoshi says while keeping the bento far away from Zorome's prying hands. "-and besides, this ain't for you!"

"The hell?! Aren't you forgetting that I'M your best friend?" The shorter boy argues haughtily, his ahoge tensing up.

"Well yes, yes you are..but my bread only belongs to Kokoro chan!" Futoshi yells loudly, making their other classmates snicker over the two boys fighting over bread. Kokoro, on the other hand, was feeling slightly embarrassed over the two.

"U-um-"

"Tch, just how noisy can you two get?" A boyish voice interrupts the two with its rather sharp tone. Turning to see where it came from, they find a young man with slicked, dark green hair staring at them with an annoyed expression.

"Mitsuru kun?" Kokoro says, calling the attention of the said man who casts a glance at her.

Cold green eyes clashes with her warm blue ones.

Without saying a word, Mitsuru turns away from them and heads towards his seat.

"What a prick." Miku comments, while looking at Kokoro who was beside her. Kokoro just purses her lips in response.

"Don't mind him." A woman with dark violet hair held together by a butterfly clip suddenly approaches the two girls. "He's just irritated he and Hiro are classmates again."

"Well that figures." Miku rolls her eyes over the explanation. "Isn't it hard dealing with him Ikuno?"

Ikuno shrugs, her eyes coming up to her glasses to readjust them. "As if I have a choice; he is my cousin after all." Scanning the whole classroom, she realizes someone was missing.

"Where's Ichigo?" She asks.

"Ichigo chan said she'd be at the front gate with Goro kun." Kokor chimes in.

"And why is that?"

"Well, they said they'll be waiting for Hiro kun at the entrance.."

Just then, Zorome butts in with the girl's conversation. Some might think he was being rude, but since all of them were childhood friends, this was a pretty normal occurrence between them.

"Speaking of Hiro...that wuss didn't even bother to show up at the opening ceremony!" Zorome exclaims in annoyance.

"Well look who's talking. If it weren't for me, you would've been the same as him!" Miku reprimanded, poking Zorome at the chest.

"Zorome's right though. I haven't seen Hiro today." Futoshi comments. To be honest, he was feeling quite worried over the guy, considering they were all childhood friends. In addition, it was no secret to Futoshi regarding Hiro's downward spiral from a child who was looked up upon, to the man he is today.

"He has never attended a single ceremony since sixth grade…" Kokoro quietly says to herself.

"Well if I'll say, Hiro's just running off again to wallow in his self-pity." Mitsuru says with a smirk.

' _How pathetic'_ he thought.

Feigning concern, he tells them, "If I were you,I'd spare a thought for how he feels."

Miku makes a face. "God, was that forced."

Just then, the group of friends turn towards the door opening, revealing Ichigo, Goro and the raven haired teen they were talking about just now.

Hiro.

And as usual, he was looking as gloomy as ever

"Ichigo." Ikuno greets with a nod and a small smile on her lips. Ichigo returns the smile with a smile of her own. "Yo Ikuno."

"Yo Hiro!" Futoshi calls out with a wave, making Zorome cringe.

"Never thought the two of you were THAT close." He mutters.

"Oh come now Zorome, we're all friends here you know." Futoshi said, earning a scoff from Mitsuru at the background. Futoshi turns towards Hiro, who responds back with a small nod.

"Tch." Zorome rolls his eyes before glancing at Hiro. Blood boiling, it unnerved him to no end seeing the guy look all depressed and gloomy; nothing like the Hiro most adults would gush about. In all honesty, looking at him now made him utterly pissed.

Sometimes, he gets the urge to kick the damn boy in the ass for no reason.

Just then, the school bell suddenly rings, signaling everyone to get back to their seats. As everyone settled, the door flew open and entered their homeroom teacher.

With wavy red hair, a voluptuous body, and an aura that screams womanly charms, Zorome's foul mood instantly disappears as he beams at his teacher.

Meanwhile, Miku had a knowing and teasing look on her face as she stared at the starry eyed boy seated beside her.

With a gentle smile on her face, she greets her class with a curt bow.

"Good morning everyone! I'm Nana and I'll be your homeroom teacher from now on." Almost the whole class cheered, Zorome being the loudest, since Ms. Nana was known to be popular in the campus for her kind and caring personality.

"Anyways, since most of you seem to already know each other, we'll just have to skip the introduction part." She grins. "Instead, let me all introduce to you our new student."

"She's a little different, but I hope everyone gets along with her." Ms. Nana adds.

Calling forth the new student outside the room, Hiro, who was slouching on his desk, could hear faint footsteps, followed by gasps and silent whispers.

Wondering what seemed to cause such reaction, Hiro slowly lifts his head to see the new student. His eyes slowly widen and his heartbeat quickens as he takes in the student's appearance.

Hair the color of cherry blossoms, sharp teal irises framed with long lashes and lined with red eye liner;

And two red horns protruding proudly as she gave the class an intimidating stare.

It was her, the girl he just met earlier at the Sakura tree; the girl who had a strange name, and an even stranger taste for sweets; the girl who continues to captivate him with her alluring presence. It's-

' _Zero Two!'_


	5. Chapter 5: Unwelcome Inquiries

_It can't be!'_ Hiro's heart skips a beat. Rubbing his eyes to see if he was just hallucinating, he realizes that Zero Two was indeed standing right before the whole class!

' _She's...we're classmates!'_ somehow, bubbling excitement seems to wash over him.

However, Hiro couldn't help but feel irked over how his other classmates were gawking at the pinkette, specifically, at her horns. Hell, even his childhood friends, Ichigo and Goro held a slight fear in their eyes.

' _Just because she looks different, doesn't mean she isn't like anybody else.'_ thinking to himself, he can't help but feel sorry for Zero Two, who seemed to pay no attention to the people around her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

' _Ah, there it is.'_ Zero Two thinks while not bothering to conceal the frown growing on her face due to the murmurs coming from the class. She didn't even have to focus her eyes on them to know how hard they were staring at her.

Or her horns, rather.

It was no stranger to her how people would react when they see her horns for the first time; some would cower in fear, while some wouldn't even bother showing their disgust, as if she was something akin to a pesky vermin.

People would either stay away from her or resort to any kind of bullying, just to ruin her already tarnished reputation.

And at this point, she didn't care.

To be honest, after all these years, she couldn't give anyone two damns. She was completely used to this kind of treatment and she'd rather be alone than force herself to connect with others.

Still, she couldn't help but to admit how irritating and crappy it always makes her feel.

Recalling how her past self was far too weak in this kind of situation, flashbacks momentarily invade her mind. Zero Two remembers how she would tremble in fear over the harsh words being thrown at her every, single, goddamn, day. She remembers coming home to her gramps full of scratches and bruises caused by the older bullies who wanted to teach a 'freak' like her, a lesson.

She forgotten how hard she tried fighting back, but a young girl like her could easily be overpowered by a number of pre teens.

Hell, she couldn't even remember how her parents looked like; most likely they abandoned her and her older sister, who shared the same fate as her.

She remembers being so consumed with self loathing and hatred, almost driving her insane.

' _You're a monster.'_

It came to a point where at such a young age, she wanted to just kill herself.

' _Why don't you.'_

But right now, no matter how cruel the world was, Zero Two has decided to keep on living, all for the sake of-

"Alright Iota, you may now introduce yourself to the class." the teacher tells her. Zero Two cringes at the name.

Wanting to make things end real quick, since she was gaining some unwanted attention, Zero Two clears her throat and says in a nonchalant manner, "Don't bother calling me that stupid name. I'm Zero Two, and that's all you need to know."

Suddenly, one student raises their hand. Nana motions them to speak.

"Are those..real?" the student points at the two protruding bony structures that sit on top of her head. _'How tactless.'_ she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

The whispered murmurs grow louder.

Balling her hands into fists, sharp nails digging into her palm, Zero Two further explains her condition. "It's caused by Klaxxosis. If you don't know what that is, then google it."

"A-are you the Yankee Killer?"

' _Yankee Killer? Haven't heard that in a while.'_

Zero Two scoffs. "So what if I am?" Colliding her knuckles to her palm, a bone crunching sound echoes through the room.

"Now that you've mentioned it, I haven't had a good beating for _weeks._ " She turns to the student who asked and gives him a smirk accompanied by an intimidating glare.

"Looks like I've got a warm up dummy for later…"

Feeling the atmosphere turn heavier, Nana immediately intervenes. "Okay class, that's enough questions. Io-" Zero Two raises a brow towards her. "-Zero Two," she corrects herself. "You may now take your seat."

Nana watches as the horned student flips her hair sassily before marching at the back part of the room, taking a sit with a loud thud.

' _What a troublesome kid…'_ Nana notes wearily before giving the class some guidelines and reminders.

Meanwhile, watching the whole scene earlier with wide, aquamarine eyes, Hiro couldn't help but seem fascinated over Zero Two's defiant aura. Looking back at the girl who seemed to be minding her own business, Hiro wonders,

He knew how fixated he was towards Zero Two, the only question now was whether she had noticed or recognized him, even for just a fleeting moment; however, judging his sullen appearance and inability to stand out, he highly doubts it.

Looks like he'll have to try and approach her later when he has the chance.


	6. Chapter 6: First impressions

To say the morning session was boring would be an understatement. For the whole class, especially for someone like Zorome, it was torture listening to the teachers ramble on about their course outlines and what to expect this semester.

Well, that would exclude Nana sensei of course, which to hime, was the best damn thing that ever happened to his morning.

Looking over at Zorome, Miku cringes. "Would you PLEASE stop fantasizing about my sister?" Yup, she and Nana were siblings, which was one of the reasons why Zorome would constantly invade her home back in seventh grade. "You're making a perverted face and it's making me sick." Miku said while trying not to gag.

"Who said I was thinking about Nana sensei?" he challenges. "I mean, who wouldn't! She's beautiful-" Zorome squints at Miku "-unlike you." then continues once more, his ahoge forming a heart, "and have you seen her sweet, round a-"

Miku forces a rice ball in his mouth, instantly choking him. "Ugh! Stop being such a pervert with my sister!" She yells.

Before another fight could start between the two, Mitsuru intervenes,

"She's right though. All you did was stare at Nana sensei like she was some piece of meat." He says accusingly before taking a sip from his milk carton.

"Well, who wouldn't?!" The hot blooded male retorts. "I mean, have you seen those curves? They are to die for!" Mitsuru's face contorts in disgust, Miku's too.

Noticing this, Zorome turns to Ikuno. "Man, is your cousin gay or something? I've heard he has never watched a single porn in his life."

Ikuno shrugs. "I've had my doubts as well…" Mitsuru glares coldly at his four eyed relative.

"Well sorry to tell you but I'm perfectly-"

"Hey guys, look over there." Futoshi butts in, his finger discreetly pointing at their peculiar, new classmate.

They all turned their heads to see her eating her 'lunch', if you could even call it that. In reality, she was eating a large piece of meat slathered in a copious amount of rich honey with her bare hands. All them are in shock when they saw the horned girl gobble the whole thing up in just two, big bites.

Miku visible greens, feeling nauseous watching Zero Two eat.

"What a strange person…" Kokoro wonders before smiling. "I wonder if she likes sweets."

"Can you even call her a person with those _things_ she has on her head?" Miku whispers, making finger horns.

"Cut it out. It's rude to talk about those kind of stuff." Ichigo scolds, however, deep inside, she too felt that the girl was odd, both in appearance and behavior.

"Well I'll say.." Ikuno joins. "All I'm interested in is what does she mean by Klaxxosis.." Giving the pinkette a side glance, she adds,

"Also, isn't it quite strange she wants to be called by 'Zero Two'?"

"Well, if she really is the Yankee Killer, she doesn't seem to be like what the rumors say." Futoshi comments. Honestly, he expected her to be the typical loud and foul mouthed delinquent. On the contrary, she was quite the opposite. Yeah she still was intimidating with that cold stare of hers, but the girl seemed to be pretty quiet all morning and was constantly doodling on her pad.

Plus, she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her meal, something Futoshi could relate to.

"Aside from her horns, she actually looks pretty good." Goro, who was beside Ichigo, comments, however, seeing her licking her fingers clean from honey, he can't help but add, "But by the way she eats, it kinda ruins her good looks."

With the group pondering over their individual thoughts on Zero Two, they see Zorome suddenly approach her with confidence.

Miku associates this confidence with his innate stupidity.

"What's he gonna do?" Ikuno asks, a bit perplexed.

"Don't tell me he's about to-"

With a loud bang, Zorome had a hand on Zero Two's desk. Slightly surprised and a bit pissed over who dared interrupt her with her scrumptious meal, she lifts her head to look at him, her brows raised in a questioning manner.

"Hey there." Zorome says a bit too sauvely. "You were quite the feisty one aren't you?" Zorome was pertaining to what Zero Two did earlier while introducing herself.

"I like you bad girls. Maybe sometime, you and I, Zorome the Great, could go grab something to eat and-" feeling something sticky all over his chest area, he finds Zero Two nonchalantly wiping the remaining honey off her hands on his uniform.

Uncharacteristically, Zorome lets out a high pitched scream. "My uniform! I just ironed this!"

The whole squad could do nothing but shake their heads over the stupid stunt Zorome just pulled.

Crossing his arms, Mitsuru bites back a smirk.

' _And they think I'M the gay one.'_

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With the squad tuning out Zorome's complains, Ichigo notices Hiro, who was quiet the whole time.

She couldn't help but also notice how his raven hair seemed to be getting a bit longer and how his lashes seemed to frame his soft, blue, eyes.

' _W-wait, what did I just..?'_ She realizes, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

Mentally slapping herself over thinking such embarrassing stuff about her childhood friend, she notices Hiro staring blankly at the new girl.

An unknown tightness hits her chest.

Curiosity getting the best of her, she asks. "Ne, Hiro, what're you thinking about?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Hiro suddenly flashes while averting his gaze to the floor

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

But that was a lie, because the truth was, ever since lunch had started, he had thought of ways on how he could be able to approach Zero Two, but seeing her eat so enthusiastically had halted him from approaching her.

Well, just look at what happened to Zorome.

That aside, he felt a bit embarrassed trying to get closer to her while his friends were around since they knew him as some introvert.

He didn't want them assuming things were going on between them.

So yeah, for Hiro, lunch was a no go with Zero Two, leaving him a bit disappointed with the circumstances and himself.

' _Why'd you gotta be such a damn coward!'_

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After classes has ended, most of the students started going their separate ways.

"Yo Miku, you go on without me, I'm gonna go sign up for the football team!" Zorome calls out to Miku while slinging his bag on his shoulders.

"Yeah sure, I've got some recording to do for my channel anyways." Miku responds.

Meanwhile, Futoshi approached Kokoro who was busy fixing her books.

"K-kokoro chan..would you like to walk home together?" Futoshi offers while twiddling his two thumbs together.

"Oh I'd love to Futoshi kun, but as assistant secretary, I have some council work to do.." Kokoro replies while glancing at Mitsuru, who was the council's secretary, exiting out the room.

"Oh I see..take care then Kokoro chan!" Kokoro smiles at Futoshi who waves goodbye.

"Still got some council work to do Ichigo?" Ikuno asks while assisting Ichigo with some folders.

Ichigo nods. "Yeah, some activity planning for the whole year must be discussed. How about you Ikuno? Still have Judo practice?" Ikuno hums in affirmation.

Turning towards the taller girl, Ichigo grins. "Anyway, thanks for carrying those for me." she points at the folders in Ikuno's hands. Ikuno smiles warmly.

"Anytime."

Meanwhile, Goro stood beside Hiro, watching the boy adjust his uniform. Hey Hiro, you go on without me okay? I've got student council duties with Ichigo." Hiro nods.

"Oh that's right, you're Vice President now…" He says mindfully.

Punching Hiro lightly in the arm, he waves his friend goodbye and immediately follows Ichigo who was busy talking with Ikuno.

It was impossible not to notice the way his gaze softens once he and the petite student president lock eyes with one another.

After finding almost everyone has left the room, Hiro follows suit with one thing on his mind: meeting Zero Two.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

There she was.

He was just a few feet behind her. He watched as her waist length hair swish side to side as she walked through the corridor. She didn't seem to notice that he was trailing behind her.

Now if he could only reach out and tap her shoulder.

Taking bigger steps, Hiro raises a shaky hand, but the sudden rising of his anxiety makes him stop and tremble in his place, feeling a bit queazy.

' _What? Why am I this nervous?'_

Was it because he found her beautiful? Or was it because of her aloof and intimidating aura she was radiating in contrast to her more playful and lighthearted side at the Sakura tree earlier?

Hiro was feeling more and more annoyed at himself.

Even if he really wanted to yell out to her so she could look back and notice him, he couldn't find his own voice, rendering frozen AND speechless on the spot.

Not until she saw her take a left turn did he finally regained his composure. Feeling more useless as the seconds pass, Hiro curses under his breath as he is forced to go home with no progress with Zero Two at all.

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"...-go"

"-chigo.."

"Oi, Ichigo!" Ichigo flinches as Goro lightly flicks her forehead.

"Y-yes?" She flushes.

"And here I was thinking you've been abducted by aliens." Goro teased. "It's a good thing we've finished all the planning. Kokoro, Mitsuru and the others had already left."

"Stop teasing. You should know how tiring it is for me to be president…" She pouts.

"Yeah, yeah..but I also know just how much you are capable of Ichigo.: Goro flashes her a boyish grin. Holding up his fist, he says. "That's why you're perfect for this role."

Smiling, Ichigo bumps fists with Ichigo. "You too Goro, you're the most supportive vice I've ever known.."

Goro's grin widened, however, his face reverts into a more thoughtful expression. Noticing this, Ichigo asks what's wrong.

"I was just thinking..haven't you noticed how strange Hiro was today?"

"What do you mean?"

Goro shrugs. "I dunno, he seemed kinda distracted than usual."

"I noticed that too…" Ichigo recalled the look Hiro had while staring at Zero Two, the tight feeling in her chest coming back.

"Ichigo?" Goro asks, noticing the girl's sudden change of demeanor.

"H-hm? Oh yeah, um..knowing Hiro, maybe he just has some things in his mind." Ichigo says.

"You're probably right."

Just then, the both of them are alerted by the sudden roar of thunder. Looking out, they see the sky starting to darken.

"Looks like it's gonna rain.."

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Sullen, Hiro exits the school gate with an umbrella in his hand. Being preoccupied with his own thoughts, he suddenly sees a flash of pink turn near an alley.

' _Could it be?'_ He hopes but wonders why would Zero Two hang in an alley, especially when it was about to rain?

With the intention of investigating, he slowly walks closer towards the alley Zero Two might've stepped upon and as he takes a peek, he is immediately shocked seeing the scene before him.

He was right when he assumed the strands of pink hair he saw belonged to Zero Two, however what deeply alarmed him was seeing her being surrounded by a group of thugs who had metal rods in their hands.

"Look, the demoness, is all alone!" One mocked. "Let's have a little fun eh?"

At that moment, Hiro's blood grew cold in fear over the girl's safety.

His fear further deepens when he sees the the first thug charge with the metal rod aimed at her.

In panic, he manages to yell out to her in desperation.

"STOP!"


	7. Omake Chapter 1: Nyaa

As soon as Zorome got home from school, he is immediately greeted by his grandma with a smile. Soon after, they eat dinner together while he tells her how his first day went.

After helping with the dishes, Zorome excuses himself and marches towards his room when suddenly, his phone vibrates with a notification. _'I wonder what it could be?'_

Checking it out, he sees a notif saying _"MikuMikuNi uploaded a video an hour ago."_

"Woah, she's fast." Zorome wonders, thinking back on what she said about posting something earlier.

Deciding he would watch his friend's video, Zorome throws his bag in a random spot and goes to the bathroom to freshen up. After changing into his pajamas, he grabs his laptop and sits on his bed as he searches for the video on YouTube.

He and Miku both have YouTube channels, with Miku having a tad more followers than him, not that it mattered to him anyway. Normally, he'd post about vlogs and gaming stuff, while Miku's channel was filled with makeup tutorials and the occasional mukbangs. (A/N: An eating vlog)

But as his screen loaded, he realized her recent video was FAR different from the rest.

Zorome instantly sweat drops, his throat feeling dry. There was no way in hell Miku would do this!

Except, she did anyway.

The video's title was: "I Lost a Bet to Ichigo :" It only lasted for thirty seconds with Miku wearing a pink, frilly maid costume and thigh high stockings. She had her hair down, instead of her usual twin tails, and had a white cat ear headband sitting on top of her head.

' _S-she looks just like her sister!'_

To make things worse, well, for him anyway, Miku was dancing to the infamous "Nya nya nya" song of nyan cat. When she hops a bit, he swears he saw a flash of white underneath her short skirt.

' _This should be censored!'_ He panics.

Then, the last five seconds had a closeup of her blushing madly, while saying "Nyaaa~" to the camera.

Once it was over, Zorome swears he felt something drip from his nose.

Although he found it quite impressive how in just an hour, the video managed to garner fifty thousand views and ten thousand likes. This was probably Miku's most popular video as of now.

But he also couldn't help but think how fifty thousand people just saw a flash of her panties.

Meanwhile, Zorome's hand itched. He was frozen not knowing how he should feel. To him, seeing Miku do something like that was very cringey, but at the same time, begrudgingly cute.

He taps on the replay button one more time. Once it ends the second time, he realizes how cute her "Nya" was.

A blush makes its way on his cheeks. Was it getting hot in here or was it just him?

"Ugh! Damn Hormones!" He groans, closing his laptop loudly and falling back in his bed.

A few minutes later though, he watches Miku's video for at least, a couple more times.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next day, Miku notices Zorome wasn't acting as rowdy as he was. He was awfully quiet and had dark circles under his eyes that were a dull purple.

Concerned, she taps his shoulder lightly.

"You look like a zombie. Is something bothering you?"

Turning towards her mechanically, Zorome mutters. "Something bothering me? Why yes, yes there is."

"What?" Miku asks, something she regrets later on.

With his gloomy atmosphere suddenly shifting into something like a shoujo scene, with the pink and bubbly background to match, Zorome's face contorts into a cat like expression. Waving his hand like it was a cat's paw, he purrs.

"Nyaa~"

 _Nya?_

' _W-wait! Did he just..?!"_ Upon realizing what his 'nya' meant, Miku is mortified.

.

.

.

Then, in a matter of seconds, her embarrassment fades, only leaving a seething, red head who was about to obliterate the boy in front of her.

"Zo..ro..MEEEE!" he gulps.

Because at that moment, Zorome knew he fucked up.

And all he could do was let out a small 'Nya!' in fear.

.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, Ichigo, who heard Zorome's purr, had sparkles on her eyes. Letting a small 'nya' of her own, she is left internally gushing over her love for cats.

' _Cute!'_

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hello everyone! I just had to let this idea out because of some random Zorome face I saw on Mato's 4Koma. Anyways, I hope ya'll are liking my story and I hope you'll see it through till the end. Also, you can leave a review for me, thanks!


	8. Chapter 7: You'll Never Walk Alone

"STOP!"

Zero Two hears someone shout. Momentarily frozen, she fails to dodge the metal pole charging at her. The cold metal hits left side of her head, making her lose balance and fall to the ground.

Her surroundings were a little fuzzy and she felt something warm trickle down her chin. Bringing her hand to where she was hit, she winces and sees that she was bleeding profusely from the cut.

"Shit.." She mutters under her breath, the pain slowly getting to her.

"What? Little miss demon ain't gonna fight back?" Her attacker taunted.

"Piss off. I ain't in the mood for you assholes." She hisses, earning her another blow to the backside of her head.

An iron taste fills her mouth, forcing her to spit out the wretched taste, which was blood.

Zero Two was on her knees, slightly trembling. To be honest, she really wasn't in the mood to deal with those piece of shits. If she ever was, they'd be pulverized in seconds.

Still, she manages to give them a cold glare that meant there was NO way in hell she was about to back down.

The leader smirks sadistically at her pseudo toughness. Turning to his lackeys, he orders them.

"Go teach this freak show a lesson."

Ganging up on her, Zero Two finds herself receiving blow after blow; she's gotten punched in the jaw, scratched on her cheeks and kicked on her thighs. For the weak, they'd probably be howling in pain, begging their attackers to stop; but for Zero Two, she welcomes the pain like a friend. Their violence pumping her veins.

What they didn't know was with every hit and kick, she feels more and more alive.

And in a sick way, she liked it.

But when she gets swiftly kicked in the stomach, her hazy vision suddenly catches a raven haired teen approach her despite the looming presence of her attackers. For a fleeting moment, Zero Two is stunned.

' _Could it be..?'_

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Hiro couldn't take it anymore.

He felt disgusted at how ruthless those thugs were, beating the girl up as if she was some kind of rag doll. In the distance, he could see Zero Two's head bleeding profusely. Blood also stained her lips and flowed through a deep cut in her cheek. Nasty bruises were also starting to form on her jaws and thighs.

Just looking at the her made his heart clench.

She looked broken and messed up, but he could see just how much fire she had in her eyes. As bloody and silent as she was, her eyes still held the power to mock and taunt her attackers;

It was as if she was asking for more.

But for Hiro, he couldn't bare to see her take any more blows. Just a few more hits, she might as well suffer from internal bleeding; so, as he sees her roll over in pain clutching her stomach, he knew that he had to do something.

And just like that, a jolt of electricity courses through his veins.

Everything else seemed like a blur because the next thing he knew, he was crouching over her fragile form asking if she was alright.

"You.." She croaks out softly.

"I-it's me Hiro! The guy from the Sakura tree." He says while gently trying to lift her up.

"We've gotta get out of here!"

.

.

.

"Not so fast, you punk ass bitch!" The thug leader grunts, holding what seems to be a bloody nose. "Don't you dare fucking think you're 'bout to leave scratch free after punching my nose!"

' _W-wait..did I..?'_

Hiro gritted his teeth. Never in his life did he resort to any kind of violence, however, witnessing these people hurt Zero Two made his blood boil, and in his adrenaline filled state, all he wanted at that moment was to get back at them. He wanted to fight back for Zero Two's sake. He wanted to…

...at all costs…

He wanted to protect her.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Stand back Zero Two." she sees him stand in front of her, shielding her with his body. She also notices his knuckles were bruised from the punch he landed on the leader.

' _What is he..'_

Why was this boy trying to help her? Judging by his lanky appearance and how his hands easily bruised from the punch, he had no experience or whatsoever with this kind of things. Did he seriously think he'd be able to fend himself against those burly looking men?

A part of her was amazed with his bravery, but a bigger part of her was highly annoyed at how reckless this boy was.

Did he think she couldn't fight for herself?

Did he pity her?

' _I don't need him to defend me.'_ Zero Two thinks bitterly.

Letting out a sigh, she slowly stands up with shaky feet. Almost losing her balance, Zero Two holds on to Hiro's shoulder for support.

"Leave me be…" She says. "It's not safe, just go and run. I can handle this."

Slowly, she walks towards the group with a slight limp, when all of a sudden, she feels someone take a hold of her wrist.

' _What the-?'_

"No, I won't let you!" Hiro looks at her with determined eyes, sending a slight thrill to her insides. "...You're bleeding and you're starting to bruise all over….there is no way I'm letting you handle this alone! That's why.."

"Let me fight with you!" he declares

 _No…_

 _...No you can't!.._

 _...After all I'm a.._

Zero Two shoves him aside quite hardly. "I said leave!" She raises her voice, hoping it would reach his head. When she sees him flinch at her outburst, Zero Two could only smile bitterly.

' _Yes..show me your scared expression…'_

"I...I've always been alone..things like this, I'm used to it."

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Hiro was not a fool.

Despite her actions, he did not miss the way her eyes flashed with sadness, nor the way her lips curled into a melancholic smile.

She tells him she's always been alone. Why? Was it because of her horns? Were they the reason why she'd decided to isolate herself from the world? Why she turned out to be this rebellious?

Was this Zero Two's way of coping with this cruel and messed up world?

And was this the reason why Hiro immediately felt attracted to her? Was it not because of her beauty or horns, but rather, the pull her spirit had towards him?

' _She's just like me…'_

Glancing over her, he sees one thug try to do a sneak attack on her. With heightened senses, he tightens his grip on the umbrella he was holding since earlier and brings it forward, hitting the thug in the stomach.

"So...you say you've always been alone huh…" He mutters against his breath. "Well, I, too, have always been alone as well." He could feel his emotions surging up; he didn't know if what he was feeling was pity, sadness or frustration.

But one thing's for sure, his emotions were so overwhelming at the moment, he couldn't help but feel something wet pouring from his eyes.

"But from now on, I'll make sure you'll never walk alone! I'll always be by your side!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"But from now on, I'll make sure you'll never walk alone! I'll always be by your side!"

' _Those words..'_ Her heartbeat quickens.

' _It was like from back then…'_

For the first time in years, Zero Two felt herself being consumed by Hiro's feelings. A warmth began spreading inside her after seeing how determined this boy was to help her.

' _He even shed tears for me..'_ She thought fondly.

With a new found resolve, she turns towards him.

"Well then.."

She smiles at him before facing the thugs, who were rendered shock after Hiro's sudden attack. Smirking at them, Zero Two declares before lunging for their asses

"Why don't you show me what you're truly made of!"

 _You are now….._

… _.My darling!_


	9. Chapter 8: Found you

Unbelievable.

Hiro couldn't believe Zero Two, who looked like a wreck, was able to kick the thugs' sorry asses into submission. He could never forgot the murderous glint in her eye as she almost beat them single handedly.

With some assistance with his lucky umbrella of course.

Once Zero Two went on full rampage, the thugs cowered in fear, instantly running away from the two of them.

Well, that didn't mean he and Zero Two didn't acquire a few more hits.

Aside from her previous injuries, Zero Two had a few small scratches on her arms. Meanwhile, Hiro fared a whole lot better, with just bruised knuckles and a shallow cut on his cheek.

Speaking of, seeing her wounds, Hiro decided on bringing Zero Two to a nearby clinic.

Taking hold of her hand, he gently pulls her along with him. "Let's get you to a clinic, Zero Two."

Zero Two doesn't budge. "It's fine. I'll take care of myself." She says, motioning towards her injuries with her free hand, but Hiro was taking none of it.

"No, I insist." His grip on her firmer. "I can't let you go looking like that."

"But-"

"I told you earlier, haven't I? I'm not letting you walk alone from now on, so let's go."

Zero Two sighs, ultimately following the raven haired teen's orders.

However, with their hands locked together, she couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in her chest. It was as if, her hands were made to be held by his.

' _What if…'_

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Luckily, the school's clinic hasn't closed yet, although there was no nurse to attend to their wounds.

' _Looks like I'm gonna have to do it myself.'_ Hiro notes.

Leading Zero Two to one of the beds, he signals he to wait for him as he rummages through the cabinets, searching for a first aid kit.

' _Ah! There it is!'_ He exclaims to himself before grabbing the white, wooden box.

Hiro grabs a stool and sits in front of her. Dabbing some water on a fresh cloth, he starts washing away the blood from Zero Two's skin, a comfortable silence ensuing between them.

He notices Zero Two looking down the whole time; she looked so timid as opposed to how she acted earlier.

' _Perhaps this is another side of her.'_ Hiro thought while gently dabbing her wounds with some disinfectant, making her wince over the stinging sensation.

"Hey.." she says softly. Looking up, he is greeted by her piercing teal eyes gazing at him intensely.

Hiro gulps. "Y-yeah?"

"Why were you crying earlier?"

He reddens over her embarrassing question. _'She must think I'm some sort of wuss!'_ He internally panics. His eyes shifts towards anything but her.

"I..uh...well you see..umm.." He had himself tongue tied when she suddenly speaks again.

"It's been a long time since someone cried for me…" Locking eyes with her one more time, he feels his insides soften.

"I couldn't stand seeing you get hurt, plus...the thing you've said about being alone? I, um, kinda understand how you feel…"

Suddenly, Hiro finds himself opening up to her.

"You see," he starts while wrapping her wounds in bandages, "Back when I was a kid, a lot of people seemed to look up at me. It was like, I was some kind of hero, y'know?" He smiles.

"But the pressure of being some kind of role model...it kind of weighed on me as I grew and I ended up hating this _perfect_ image the saw in me...So, I destroyed it..that image..leaving me with nothing to hold onto.."

"And you know, once I started behaving as someone far from the person they once knew, one by one, those who looked up to me and praised me started leaving me because I couldn't offer what they expected from me. I could see it you know...pity, frustration, disappointment..all of these are reflected in their eyes everytime they spare a glance at me…"

"I guess it's my own fault why I ended up being alone." He finishes, looking up at Zero Two who had an unreadable expression on her face.

Suddenly, a thought enters his mind, making him blush.

' _But meeting you...I don't feel so alone anymore..'_

"-and besides! You asked me if I wanted to be your darling, so I assumed y-you wanted to be friends, right?" He stutters, his blush getting heavier by the second, when suddenly-

"No."

' _W-what?'_ Hiro pales.

A tense silence fills the air, only to be broken moments later by a soft chuckle belonging to Zero Two.

"You should've seen your face!" Her cheeks puffed up in amusement before letting out a hearty laugh.

As soon as she managed to calm herself, Zero Two couldn't help but flash a smile towards Hiro for his kindness, plus, she's kind of happy understanding him more.

"Anyways, you did save my life earlier. I appreciate that." Her smile widens when she sees his blush coming back.

"Thank you."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When they exited the school, it was already raining hard.

"Do you have an umbrella?" Hiro asks. Zero Two shakes her head.

"Well then," opening his umbrella with a click, he raises it on top of their heads to protect themselves from getting wet.

"Stay under here and let me walk you home." Zero Two doesn't responds and only stares at him with big, questioning eyes. It made Hiro slightly uncomfortable.

"What is it?"

"You do know the implications of sharing an umbrella, right?" She teases lightly.

Realizing what she meant, Hiro blushes for the nth time. It was embarrassing yes, not that she wasn't girlfriend material, but as an act of chivalry, he couldn't let Zero Two walk in the rain. Her bandages would get wet and her uniform…

Yeah, she seriously couldn't get wet!

"It isn't like that!" He panics. "I just don't want you to catch a cold."

"But just so you know, I've never caught a cold." She presses further.

"J-just come on!" Zero Two grins over Hiro's cuteness.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So, where do you live?" Hiro asks. Both of them were walking on a path based on Zero Two's directions.

"In an apartment, all by myself, since my gramps forced me out of his a year ago." she answers while twirling a lollipop with her fingers.

"Why?" Did she do something incredibly bad that even her own grandpa would disown her?

"I set the kitchen on fire." she says simply.

"What?!" To Hiro, that was completely unexpected.

"Weeeelll, I wanted to cook some rice, then BOOM! His Italian granite goes bye bye." Zero Two snickers at the memory.

' _So she's a bad cook…'_ Hiro thought grimly.

"Don't worry though, we're still close. In fact, he's the one supporting me with my finances!" Zero Two exclaims with a grin.

"Really? That's good to hear." Hiro says, genuinely glad for Zero Two.

"Mhm! Thanks to him, I get to study at FranXX!"

"And why is that?"

"He's the headmaster." She tells him like it was no big deal.

"WHAT?!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Meanwhile, sitting in his office, Doctor Werner plays with a ceramic bird in his hands.

"Ahhh~ Aren't you so beautiful?" He muses while stroking it lovingly.

All of a sudden, the doctor sneezes hard, making him drop the ceramic figure onto the floor. The bird smashes into tiny, white pieces.

Feeling all the life sucked right out of him, the Doctor could only kneel over his figure's demise while clutching his chest.

"M-my Apus…!" He howls.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"-yeah, my gramps loves his ceramics so much, he actually has a room full of it!" Zero Two laughs while talking about the Doctor. "In fact, he never allowed me to enter that room, even now!"

"I never knew the headmaster could be so...weird." Hiro sweat drops. They continue walking through the rain when finally, Zero Two comes to a halt. "Here's where I live."

"Eh?" Hiro makes a sound of astonishment, making Zero Two turn to him curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just...I kinda live just beside you." He says while pointing to his own apartment. "That means we're neighbors…"

"That's great news! We can walk to school together, then." Zero Two beams happily.

Hiro's relieved seeing her back to her cheerful self.

"Y-yeah anyway, I better go before Goro-" as he turns away from her, he feels her yank him towards her, spinning him until he feels something warm and moist press against his lips.

She was kissing him!

And it was his first kiss!

It was only for a few seconds, but boy did he feel like he was being set on fire. Feeling her soft body pushed against him while her lips moved slowly made his insides feel like combusting into flames. His heart was beating rapidly, he felt like it was about to burst.

When Zero Two pulls away, she gives him a cheeky smile, placing a finger on his lips.

"See you tomorrow, darling~"

He could only stutter incoherently as she waltzed back into her home.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hearing someone knock, Goro opens the door to find his best friend soaking wet, despite having an umbrella in his hands.

"Hiro! What took you so long?" he asked, slightly worried over how red his friend looked.

' _He might've caught a fever..'_

Wide eyed, Hiro still couldn't find it in himself to function properly after what Zero Two just did.

"I….I.." His mind suddenly thinks back to how soft and sweet her lips were, as well as how soft her body was against his chest. The weird, fiery sensation within him grows more intense, burning hotly especially in his groin area.

Hiro's eyes widen.

"Um, Hiro? You okay, dude?"

"I GOTTA TAKE A SHOWER!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Meanwhile, Zero Two was leaning in her door frame, her fingers lightly trailing over her lips.

' _His taste...it feels nice.'_ She smiles fondly, thinking about the kiss they shared.

Closing her eyes to relinquish in her feelings, she whispers to no one in particular.

"Found you, my darling."


	10. Chapter 9: Getting to Know

Goro didn't really consider himself as a morning person.

In fact, he hated waking up so early in the morning. If he had the choice to just sleep all day, he'd gladly take it.

Unfortunately, this cannot be allowed, considering he was vice president and an honor student, after all.

Anyways, the only reason he forces himself to wake up earlier than usual was to accompany his blue haired friends on her way to school.

He'd gladly exchange the opportunity to sleep a little more if it meant being able to walk by her side, being the first person to receive her morning greetings and also the first to make her smile.

Anything involving her was simple because he loved her.

No it wasn't the sibling type of love. He was legitimately, head over heels in love with her, from the very moment they've met back when they were kids. For Ichigo, he'd do anything to make her happy, even if it meant making a fool out of himself.

But unfortunately, even though it seems a lot of girls fall for him through the years, something he's not entirely proud of, the sole person her loves still doesn't shows any kind of feelings for him other than the horrid, brotherly love.

And that sucks real bad.

Still, this wouldn't stop Goro from staying by her side, ready to support her through the thick and thin. That's why, in the early morning, he suits up in his uniform and checks if he's all ready for the day to come. Satisfied, he calls out to Hiro, whom he shares an apartment with, telling him he's about to go.

Back then, he and Hiro used to walk together, along with Ichigo. They'd share stories and laugh over the trivial of things, but after Hiro's sudden personality change, the boy seemed to prefer going to school alone.

Locking the door with his spare key, Goro notices a flash of pink at the corner of his eye. He turns his head to see the new girl, Zero Two getting out of her own apartment. She, too, was already dressed in her uniform and had a lollipop in her mouth

' _She's eating sweets too early in the morning..'_ Goro sweat drops. He was quite surprised the pinkette was actually neighbors with him and Hiro, but hearing rumors about her being a delinquent, Goro could only wish she wouldn't actually do any sort of trouble within their area.

As he starts walking, he doesn't notice the said girl walking up to his front porch in order to meet with her darling.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hiro was still half asleep when he heard loud knocks on the door.

Groaning, he sluggishly gets up from his bed and heads outside the room. _'Who knocks so loudly this early?'_

Opening the door, his mind immediately registers the appearance of the pink haired girl in front of him.

"Good morning, darling!" Zero Two beams excitedly.

Noticing how she was already fully dressed, a sudden pang of embarrassment overcomes him. Hiro realizes he was wearing his boxers.

"Z-Zero Two! Ah, wait just a sec!" Hiro dashes back to his room, leaving Zero Two, who has helped herself inside his apartment.

Sitting in his living room, she notices pictures hanging on the wall. She finds several photos involving her darling, who is accompanied by a taller male with blonde hair. Zero Two recognizes the guy as her classmate from yesterday.

It was quite funny she hadn't noticed her darling until he had told her while heading home.

A few minutes later, Hiro comes back all dressed up.

Well, except for his tie. It was a mess!

"Let's go Zero- Zero Two?" Hiro asks as he wonders why she was coming up to him.

' _W-wait, is she gonna-?'_

His thoughts are cut short when he sees her taking his tie and fixing it. All the while, he is left stunned seeing how tall she was and how her red horns seemed to point directly towards his eyes.

A little more closer, they'd have probably poked him.

"There, all better!" Zero two marvels at her accomplishment. Grabbing his hand, she says, "Come now, darling, we're gonna be late!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ichigo came to class with Goro beside her as usual. Instantly, she is approached by Ikuno, whom she smiles at.

She also notices the others. Mitsuru was reading a book by himself, meanwhile, Miku, Kokoro and Futoshi were busy talking with one another.

"Where's Zorome?" Ichigo asks Ikuno.

"Mou, that boy got into a fight with Miku again. Let's just say he needed to go to the clinic, after."

Amused, Ichigo lets out a small chuckle. Every morning, it was refreshing to see her friends going on with their daily shenanigans. It reminds her of how even though all of them were different, she was still lucky being friends with all of them.

But somehow, deep inside, she couldn't bring herself to be truly happy.

She couldn't be, especially with how things are going for Hiro, whom she considers as one of her dearest friends. He was the reason why she came to be the person she is now. He was the one who inspired her to push through her limits and believe in her capabilities; that's why seeing him look so depressed made her feel guilty because she couldn't do anything to help him.

After all, he's done so much for her, so why couldn't she do the same for him?

And even if she tried to do something for his sake, such as reaching out to him, all he does is shut himself out then builds an invisible wall between him and his friends.

It pained her greatly.

Speaking of, her attention turns towards the door when she sees the raven haired teen enter. Initially smiling, Ichigo's face twists into confusion when she sees Zero Two come alongside him.

Also, they were holding hands.

Ichigo observes how chirpy the horned girl seemed to be, a huge contrast to how intimidating she was yesterday. Also, in all her years of knowing Hiro, it was definitely impossible to notice how his eyes were a lot brighter while talking to the pinkette.

Ichigo doesn't know why, but a knot seemed to be forming in her chest.

"Ichigo, is something wrong?" Goro asks, sensing the sudden change with Ichigo. He glances over to where she was staring at and sees both Hiro and Zero Two sharing a rather, intimate moment.

"Ne, darling, say aaah~" Zero Two, who was partially seated in Hiro's lap raised some honey covered bread to his lips. She knew that Hiro wasn't able to have breakfast, that's why she took the initiative to feed him.

It felt a bit embarrassing on Hiro's part, being fed in front of the whole class, but how could he decline when she's looking at him with those big teal eyes of hers?

"A-ah.." He takes a bite of the bread and chews it slowly, savoring it's sweetness on his tongue.

"Good?" He nods, swallowing the piece, when all of a sudden, he hears someone clear their throat. Looking up, he sees Goro approaching him with Ichigo trailing behind.

"Goro, Ichigo. What's up?" Hiro asks.

"Looks like you guys are having fun. Have you two known each other?" Goro says

"Well, actually, we've just met at the Sakura tree yesterday." Hiro smiles sheepishly, not noticing the subtle change in Zero Two's demeanor, who was still sitting comfortably in his lap.

"That's nice Hiro, but I don't tolerate any sort of PDA in the campus." Ichigo says sternly before giving a warning look at Zero Two.

Getting the hint, Zero Two lifts herself up away from his lap and takes a seat next to him.

"Tch, how bossy." She mutters under her breath.

With the situation clear, Ichigo puts on a smile. "Well, Hiro, aren't you gonna introduce us to your new friend?" she says while motioning towards the others, who were also watching the whole lovey dovey scene, to come closer.

"O-oh..um everyone, this is Zero Two…" Hiro says, however, Zero Two has reverted back to her cool and aloof persona, not bothering to greet the others.

Meanwhile, the other's reactions over the girl varied. Miku, who already had an initial distaste over the pinkette only rolled her eyes.

' _Why should I even bother with her? It's not like I'm supposed to be all chummy with her because of Hiro!'_

Ikuno, who had researched about Klaxxosis the night before, was a lot more understanding and accepting. Reaching out a hand, she says in a reserved tone, "I hope we could get along, Zero Two."

Nudged by Hiro, Zero Two begrudgingly shakes hands with Ikuno.

Meanwhile, Mitsuru, who was severely irritated with just being close to Hiro, scoffed, earning a glare from his cousin.

Straightening his back, he says, "Well, if I were you, if you don't want to be let down, I'd rather stay away from him." Mitsuru sends a smirk towards Hiro, who flinches at his former friend's hostility.

Zero Two, who was feeling slightly pissed at the boy's arrogance, shot a glance at Hiro, who looked at her as if he was saying 'Don't mind him'. Rolling her eyes, she decides not to involve herself with Mitsuru, all for her darling's sake.

Next was Kokoro, who seemed genuinely happy with meeting Zero Two. she bows formally before smiling sweetly at her.

"Nice to meet you, Zero Two. I hope we could be friends!"

Zero Two, slightly taken aback over the blonde's radiance, looks away while scratching her bandaged cheek. "Ah, nice to meet you too…"

Futoshi was also quite friendly with approaching the horned girl. Holding out some bread he baked this morning, Futoshi grins.

"I've noticed just how much you like sweets, so maybe you'd like to try some of my anpan?" Zero Two eyed the steaming red bean buns cautiously, taking a small whiff of its earthy smell. Giving in to her temptations, she grabs a piece and takes a big bite.

"I-it's good.." _'IT'S AMAZING!'_

"Thanks! There's more where that came from!" Futoshi beams before going back to Kokoro's side.

' _I like this one.'_ Zero Two munches while glancing at Futoshi.

Goro approaches next, his greeting short and casual. "I've seen you earlier Zero Two. Looks like we're neighbors, huh?" He winks.

"That's right, you're the guy in the pictures with darling." Miku, whose curiosity blooms with the endearment, interrupts,

"Why do you call Hiro 'darling'?"

As a response, Zero Two only shrugs, which makes the red head huff in frustration.

Finally, Ichigo was the last one to introduce herself. Like Ikuno, she takes out her hand. "Zero Two, my name is Ichigo, and I hope we could get along till the end of the school year."

' _Strawberry?'_ Zero Two thinks to herself.

She takes her hand, but instead of shaking it, she pulls Ichigo closer to her, bends down, and licks her on the cheek. Ichigo yelps and instantly reddens, like a strawberry, while the others are frozen in shock.

"O-oi, Ichigo!" Goro places a hand on her shoulder when he sees actual steam coming out from her head.

Criticizing the taste, Zero Two smiles, "Your taste is sweet, I like it."

After that, the school bell rings, signaling classes were about to start. As everyone goes back to their seats, Hiro couldn't help but feel a bit happy for Zero Two, seeing how his childhood friends were starting to accept her, despite her horns.

A part of him wishes he could get along with them like before too.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Soon, it was already lunch time. Before, Hiro would eat some place quiet. Somewhere where he could be alone with just his thoughts accompanying him, but this time, with Zero Two around, she wants the both of them to eat together at the rooftop. Knowing he couldn't resist her, he agrees.

So as she pulls him and drags him all the way up to the rooftop, barely catching a breath, he doesn't complain and freely follows her with his fingers interlaced with her's.

What he doesn't notice though, is that they pass by a certain shortie, who had an incredulous look on his face.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was already noon when Zorome exited the clinic.

That damned Miku getting pissed at him and making his nose bleed in the WORST WAY POSSIBLE.

"That bitch! First, she yells at me so early in the goddamn morning, next, she breaks my nose and now, because of that, I didn't get to see my beloved Nana sensei ALL DAY!" Zorome grits through his teeth. It annoyed him to no end knowing everything started just because of that stupid youtube video.

' _Geez, what a great way to start the day!'_

As he passes through the halls, he suddenly sees a couple holding hands looking all happy and shit. One was raven haired, while the other had pi-

Wait a minute.

Pink?!

Zorome shudders. The only pinkette in the whole school was the horned girl who had wiped some honey on his uniform, something he might never forget.

And what's surprising is, after taking a better look, the horned girl was holding hands with Hiro. HIRO FOR GOD SAKES! The same brooding asshole who looked to dead to care.

' _That wuss!'_

With an already crappy day going on for him, Zorome could feel his blood boiling over the sickly sweet sight that passed before him. "How come that wuss gets to be all chummy with that girl?"

' _What does he have, that I don't?'_ He thinks angrily.

Hatching up an idea, Zorome smirks. With PE after lunch, he thinks he could be able to set things straight with Hiro, once and for all.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

 _Author's Note: The video Zorome was talking about was the one from the omake keke~_

 _Also, Zero Two's a big softie when it comes to kindness~~~_

 _Also, thanks for reading! Stay tuned in for the next chapter, andddd, please don't forget to leave a review ~~~_


	11. Chapter 10: Falling out

_WARNING: Some parts of this chapter might be quite triggering for some, especially those who are experiencing depression and/or bullying. If it makes you uncomfortable, then please skip that certain part, or better yet don't read the chapter for the sake of your own mental health. As always, Reader's discretion is advised._

 _Anyway, here's some Angst for you Hiro and Zorome fans!_

* * *

On the rooftop, Hiro was staring in disbelief as Zero Two pours honey all over her store bought bento. He knows how much of a sweet tooth the horned girl is, but he doesn't expect it to be this worse!

Licking the honey of her fingers, Zero Two glances at her darling who was gaping like a fish. "Want some darling?" Zero Two asks, offering her honey coated food at him.

Gulping, Hiro declines politely. "No thanks, I'm fine with this." He points to his ham sandwich. Zero Two shrugs before starting to devour her lunch.

As she eats in silence, she couldn't shake off the feeling that Hiro was intently staring at her. Turning to him, she figures her assumptions were correct.

"Stop staring, darling." She scolds playfully. Even if he had already told her how alluring her horns were, deep inside, she couldn't stop feeling a bit conscious and insecure with them.

"A-ah, sorry! I didn't mean to!" Hiro flushes before tearing his eyes away from her.

"By the way, Zero Two, how are your injuries?" Hiro asks, trying to destroy the sudden awkwardness. He also observes she had fewer bandages compared to yesterday.

"Most of it completely healed." Zero Two notices the curiosity in his eyes. "I..heal pretty fast. The perks of my condition." she further explains.

"Why were those thugs even hurting you anyway? Did you do something to them?"

Zero Two turns away. "It's nothing important."

Sensing her sudden quietness, he decides not to pry on that topic any further. It would be bad if Zero Two gets upset because of him. Instead, he twirls the red muffler she constantly has on her neck and tugs it lightly, making Zero Two flinch.

"I wonder...why'd you keep wearing this? Do you always feel cold?" Zero Two giggles at his question. "Silly darling! It's not like that.." her face changes into a fond expression.

"Someone important gave me this.." she says softly while letting her fingers graze the warm fabric. Lifting her head up, she stares at Hiro hopefully.

"Ne, darling..I wanted to ask you if….-"

Too bad the bell rang.

"Looks like it's time for PE." Hiro stands up, helping Zero Two as well. "What were you supposed to say again?"

Zero Two shakes her head before grinning. "Nothing important." she grabs Hiro's hand and proceeds to go back for their next subject.

.

.

.

.

.

' _Wasn't it you?'_

* * *

During PE time, students are separated based on gender, meaning the boys and girls have their sessions in different locations. For this day, girls play volleyball, while the boys play dodgeball.

In the locker rooms, Miku, Ikuno, Kokoro and Ichigo are all changing into their PE uniforms, the four of them talking about a certain horned pinkette.

"She seems nice and a little shy…" Kokoro comments while tying her long ash blonde hair into a side braid.

"What do you mean nice?! She freakin licked Ichigo!' Miku argues at her friend.

"It's fine Miku, I don't think Zero Two meant any harm." Ichigo says before putting on her playing shoes.

"Well, what about her horns huh? Don't you all think it's pretty creepy?" The red haired retorts.

"Miku, like what she's said, it's a medical condition. Her horns should be treated with understanding, not like some kind of oddity." Ikuno berates.

"Hmph!" She huffs in frustration. Pouting, Miku exits the locker room before suddenly bumping into someone. Almost losing her balance, a hand grabs her arm and pulls her to her feet. She looks up and quickly panics when she sees bright red horns just inches away from her face.

"Z-zero Two!" She squeaks. When Zero Two was sure the red head was already steady on her feet, she instantly lets go of her arm and walks away without a word, leaving Miku feeling even more frustrated towards her. _'What's with her? Always acting high and mighty!'_

* * *

Meanwhile, while the boys were enjoying dodgeball, Zorome was using a spare ball to show off his soccer skills to Futoshi.

"Impressed, fatty?" He gloats at his friend.

"I would be in any normal situation, but Zorome, this is dodgeball!" Futoshi jokes.

While both of them are laughing in unison, Zorome's eyes catches Hiro, who was sitting by the bench all by himself and not bothering to play dodgeball with the other. _'What a nice target..'_ he thinks, a smirk coming up on his lips. "Yo Futoshi!" he calls out to his friend, "Bet you'd be more impressed with this!"

"What are you-" Seeing Zorome kick the ball hard towards Hiro, Futoshi's eyes widen "Zorome what did you-"

It's too late.

Next thing Futoshi knew, Hiro was sprawled on the ground groaning in pain with his nose slightly bleeding. Instinctively, Futoshi runs towards his friend.

"Hiro!"

When he got to Hiro, Goro, too, was instantly by his side, hoisting him up.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Futoshi yells at Zorome, who had a cocky grin on his face.

"Whaaat? It wasn't like the wuss didn't deserve it." Zorome waves nonchalantly before elbowing Mitsuru, who too, was observing the scene. "Right, Mitsuru?" Said boy only narrows his eyes towards the smaller guy. True enough, he wasn't in good terms with Hiro, but he wouldn't stoop this low. No, Mitsuru was never the type to resort to violence.

"Zorome, why in the world did you kick the ball at Hiro?" Goro asks sternly.

"Whaat? Aren't we supposed to be playing dodgeball?" He answers sarcastically, but Goro wasn't taking any of his shit.

"Zorome."

Growing more and more annoyed over how his friends seemed to be siding with the wuss, Zorome grits his teeth before taking slow steps towards Hiro. Despite the apparent size difference between them, the shorter boy easily pulled off an intimidating glare.

"I just wanted to put this WUSS, in his place." He slowly says. "The adults were out of their minds, believing in someone like him, who doesn't even do any shit but mope around and brood all. FUCKING. DAY!"

Zorome shoves Hiro, who had a dark expression on his face. "You know what, since you look SO depressed, why don't you just kill yourself already?"

Pissed at how immature Zorome was acting, Futoshi grabs him by the collar.

"Take that back Zorome! You've gone too far!" He demanded.

"No! It's true after all! THAT MOTHER FUCKER'S BETTER OFF D-"

"Shut up."

All heads turn to Hiro.

"What. did. You. just. Say?" Zorome asks, half surprised and half pissed over Hiro's sudden outburst.

"I said, shut. Up." Hiro repeats with much force. With his fists clenched, he says, "you don't have a single IDEA on how I've been feeling all this time….the adults? I don't give a damn with what they think of me, so why do YOU even bother?" He stares at Zorome hard in the face.

"Now that's the problem with you, nobody knows what's in your goddamn mind because you're brooding ALL THE FUCKING TIME!" Zorome roars, attracting more and more students' attentions, meanwhile, Goro was asking a random student to call a teacher.

Hiro feels his chest tighten over Zorome's words because a part of him knew he was telling the truth. "Y-you...that shouldn't even matter to you.." He weakly responds before turning away from him, wanting to end the conflict.

Zorome scoffs. "Heh, and what, you're drama only matters to little miss pinky?" Hiro freezes.

' _Zero Two!'_

"I bet she only stays with you because she's sorry for your ass. With a body like hers, I'm sure you aren't the first-" Zorome suddenly feels something hard collide with his cheek. Stumbling down, he finds Hiro on top of him with his hands on his collar.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

"MAKE ME!"

With the both of them fueled with rage, both struggle on the ground trying to land blows on each other's faces. Both Goro and Futoshi try to separate the two, and when they do, the PE teacher, along with the girls, comes just in time to punish them.

Seeing her darling looking dirty and pissed, Zero Two calls out to him in concern.

"Darling!"

Same goes for Miku, whose attention was focused on Zorome.

"What happened in here?" The PE teacher asks before running a hand through her forehead. "You know what? I don't care, you two" she points at Zorome and Hiro who were glaring at each other. "You get 2 hours of detention."

' _Great. Looks like I'm gonna be stuck with this wuss for two fucking hours then.'_ Zorome thinks angrily.

* * *

After school, Zero Two approaches Hiro. "Are you sure you don't want me to wait for you, darling?" she was still concerned for him, especially with the fact he almost got his nose broken. "I could kick his ass for you, if you want." Zero Two offers.

"No it's fine Zero Two." Hiro reassures her, "Part of this is my fault, I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me." he sighs. Trying to lighten up his mood, Zero Two adds jokingly, "Well, I DID say you tasted like danger, so there."

Laughing a bit, Hiro takes a deep breath and says, "You know, with what Zorome said earlier, I really do think he has a point...I just don't get why he's so mad at me?"

"Well…" Zero Two starts, "Just confront him I guess. Nothing really happens if you just sit back and do nothing, after all…"

' _She's right…'_ Hiro smiles at Zero Two. "Yeah, I guess I'll use this as an opportunity to talk to him."

With that, Zero Two bids her darling goodbye and leaves the classroom. She notices the redhead from earlier, Miku was it?, holding Zorome by the ear, apparently scolding him. Finding the scene quite amusing, Zero Two continues on heading back home with a smirk on her lips.

"You idiot! Why did you do that to Hiro!" Miku yells in the blonde's ear, making him wince in pain.

"I TOLD YOU! It's because the wuss deserved it!" his reason earning him a smack on the head. "Even so! Hiro's our friend since childhood, you two should be getting along with each other!" she says sternly but Zorome pays no attention to her.

Giving up, Miku lets go of him and sighs heavily, clearly disappointed over her friend's actions. Walking past him, she gives him one last piece of advice before heading home.

"You know, I've been completely aware of your jealousy towards Hiro...but I think maybe it's time you set aside your immaturity and start setting things straight with him."

Zorome grumbles, a small part of his conscience biting at him and telling him, Miku was right.

And he hated it when she was right.

Having no choice but to attend detention, Zorome enters the room and finds Hiro staring up at him with his large, aquamarine, eyes. If Zorome was right, he swears the boy's eyes held a hint of sadness, making his gut wrench in guilt. Ignoring the feeling, He sits on a random seat far away from the other boy and finally breathes out a sigh;

something's telling him this was gonna be a long afternoon.


	12. Chapter 11: Change of Heart

In an empty classroom with two boys who share nothing but childhood memories that slowly warping into nothing but blurry images, because of the looming tension that has developed within the both of them. The space between as they both sat at the far end of the room seemingly represents the rift created by unspoken feelings and the growing misgivings they have for one another. The more rash one, Zorome, was slowly understanding what he did earlier was wrong, however, he still couldn't let go of the fact that Hiro deserved it. He would have never treated Hiro like crap if he didn't act like one. Yes, what he did earlier was stupid and uncalled for, but what he felt for the raven haired teen wasn't his fault.

It was his and his, alone.

Zorome could remember vividly how the young Hiro would stand in front of the whole class and deliver some speech that would have everyone clapping, even the teachers. He remembers how Hiro didn't have to put any effort in having friends, all the kids were basically begging to be his friend. He remembers overhearing the teachers talking about Hiro. They would constantly praise his brightness and call him as some sort of whiz kid of some sort. He remembers how the stars would always seem to align for Hiro, showering him with blessings one after another.

And it gnawed at him.

His parents were constant travellers, thus, leaving him in the care of his beloved grandma. Due to this, he wanted to be acknowledged, especially by the adults, but unfortunately, he wasn't as bright as Hiro. He was just some average kid who seemed to fair pretty well with sports, but no, being sporty wouldn't have you being praised by the teachers. All they ever noticed was the one good with books and talking, but that didn't stop him from working hard. Day and night, he studied just so he could be in par with Hiro, but with numerous kids being smarter than him, like Goro, Ikuno and Mitsuru, he knew he had a long way to come.

And yet, his younger self would constantly push his limits, being the passionate kid he was.

But when sixth grade came, everyone noticed how the once smart kid slowly deteriorated into a person he found despicable. Where was the grit, the passion Hiro had? How could Zorome ever be on par with him if he's like this? How could he prove to everyone he could be better than Hiro?

It pissed him off to no end. His efforts were all in vain, and soon, he reverts back to the rowdy kid whose only good at sports. Something Hiro was probably never good at, at least.

If only Hiro hadn't changed. If only he hadn't stopped being the model kid he was back then, then maybe, just maybe, his feelings of inferiority would have been justified.

Meanwhile, Hiro was once again lost in his thoughts, still, he was also somehow acutely aware of the other boy's presence. They were in the same space, but for him, it was like they were in different places. Zorome's words kept ringing in his head. Some of them didn't matter, like how he told him to just kill himself and unbeknownst to the dirty blonde, he already did, countless of times, and if it weren't for Goro or his parents, he might actually be dead by now. Zorome didn't know that, and he might as well never know the scars that haunt him, every night he suffers from bouts of self hate. They haunt him when he's weak, and they haunt him whenever he stares at his bare arms, itching to draw another mark on his skin.

But he doesn't care if Zorome doesn't know, because he was never involved anyway. All of this fucked up mess was his own doing. He destroyed himself, throwing every single thing that was associated with his so called, _perfection_ , leaving him empty but in a strange way, satisfied.

But when he hears Zorome say bad things about Zero Two, something in him snapped. Compared to his empty self, she was full; broken, but full. She was everything he wanted to be, naturally cool yet fiery at most; distant yet radiates with a charisma only she possesses.

Most importantly, she was imperfect, an enigma, with her striking horns and unpredictable personality; she admits to being alone yet, you could see the fire in her eyes that represents her strong will to live.

In just a short period of time, he could feel her filling up his empty existence; filling him up with emotions both unknown and long forgotten.

That's why at that moment, as his veins were being filled anger, he explodes, putting his all when punching Zorome in the face and pinning him to the ground. Once again, Zorome didn't know a thing. He doesn't know a thing about Zero Two and how she was involved with him.

But after calming down, Hiro's wrecked over his dilemma with Zorome. A part of him wanted to know why the boy grew to be hostile towards him, even more so than Mitsuru, which was another issue. Hiro wanted to at least have an explanation, and he thinks now is the time for one, the only problem being how he would approach Zorome, with the heavy tension in the air making things hard at the moment.

' _Why were expressing feelings much easier back then?'_

Yes, in this quiet classroom, the only noise that filled the air were the raging thoughts in their heads..

* * *

The air felt damped, Zero Two muses.

She hasn't gotten very far from school because of her worries for Hiro.

 _Was he okay? Are him and that other guy doing well?_ Constant thoughts ran in her head. To be honest, she was tempted to stay and wait for her darling until his detention is over, but as she looked her darling in the eye, she instantly knew what he wanted and chose to respect it, so here she was, walking alone in the busy streets.

She was used to it anyway.

Realizing she had no dinner at home (well she could go to her gramps' home for some food, but she didn't want to hear him gush over his ceramics again), Zero Two decides to drop by the very first convenience store she'd find and fortunately, there was one just across the street.

Entering the store, Zero Two sees some people staring at her, prompting her to roll her eyes. For her, this was a natural occurrence. Throughout the years of odd looks and unwelcome whispering, she learned to not give a damn at anyone who did so, and right now, no damns are absolutely given with how hungry she was feeling.

So without further delay, Zero Two grabs a microwavable (microwaves are the only kitchen appliances she uses that doesn't explode.) bento that contains some rice, steamed veggies and chicken teriyaki. She also grabs some coke, and of course, a dozen of bizarre tasting lollipops full of sugary sweetness.

"New flavor...Bubblegum caramel swirl?" Zero Two muses while twirling the lollipop on her fingers before putting it in her basket.

As she's paying the cashier, she looks out to see a familiar twin tailed girl being approached by a group of boys. Zero Two could see that the girl was clearly uncomfortable with the boys' advances, fidgeting and trying to pass through only to be blocked by them. Normally, Zero Two wouldn't care, but as she takes a closer inspection, she realizes that the twin tailed girl was her classmate Miku, who was also a friend of her darling, she assumes.

Sighing to herself, Zero Two knew she had to do something, even if the girl WAS a bit of a brat. 

* * *

_'Stupid Zorome..'_ Miku was still a bit pissed over what Zorome did to Hiro earlier. Yes, she and Hiro weren't really that close, even when they were children, but she knows what Zorome did was unreasonable.

She knew that, as an effect of Zorome's insecurities due to his innate wish of being acknowledged, he developed a burning jealousy towards Hiro who was considered as a 'prodigy' at that time. Knowing Zorome the longest, she witnessed how he would burn himself out day and night just to prove he could beat the other boy, but at least before, they were in good terms, because outside his jealousy for praise, Miku knows deep inside, Zorome looks up to Hiro as well.

That's why when Hiro stopped being the boy he once was, Zorome became much more meaner with him.

That was probably his way of coping with the fact that the boy he so wished to surpass, was nothing but a part of yesterday's youth.

Lost in her thoughts, Miku accidentally bumps into someone. Immediately, she apologizes, trying to pass through, but she suddenly feels a grip on her wrist slightly pulling her back.

 _'W-what?'_ A deep feeling of dread develops within her.

"Aren't you the girl from that cat video?" One of the guys slurs. "I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about." Miku feigns confidence, but the dread she feels grows even stronger.

The boy, who was accompanied by a few others, laughed but his eyes had a hungry glint, like how a predator would look at their prey. Involuntarily, Miku gulps.

"Nahh..I'm pretty sure you're the one, nice panties by the way." Pulling her even more closer, he lowers his face to her ears and whispers seductively. "I'm pretty sure you're better off without them."

"P-please, don't..." Miku strains, trying to push away the guy to no avail for his grip on her was far too strong.

 _'Please somebody,_ _help me...'_

"Oi." A voice calls out, making the boys and Miku turn to where it came from. Miku was surprised to see a familiar shade of pink and a pair of bright red horns that added to the woman's intimidating aura.

"Zero Two!" She exclaims in surprise.

Said girl looks down at the perverts, an advantage of being 5 foot 8, and crunches her knuckles. Recognizing her as the horned girl who beats up thugs, the boys gulp in fear.

"Y-you're..!"

"That's right. Now if you assholes don't want to go home with your heads between your pants, I suggest you perverts scram." She growls and in an instant, the boys leave Miku, who was dumbfounded, and run away as fast as they can.

Zero Two sighs, _'such cowards..'_ on the bright side, at least they didn't put up a fight because that would've been a pain.

"Z-zero Two..." she turns to see Miku looking at her with a blush coloring her bashful expression. Zero Two raises a brow. "Um..I know I wasn't that friendly with you and I pretty much judged you because of your horns..." Miku says, her voice much softer as compared to her usual haughtiness.

"It's nothing unusual.." Zero Two immediately answers. "Everyone's scared of my horns..."

 _'Except Darling of_ course.. _'_

"But even so! I was wrong for that, and I'd really want to say, I'm so !sorry" Miku bows before adding, "And also, thank you for saving me from those bastards." as she straightens up, she raises a hand towards Zero Two and gives a small grin. "If it's okay with you...let's be friends?"

At loss with what to say, Zero Two hesitantly takes her hand and nods at the red head's request. Beaming, Miku pulls the taller girl in a quick hug before waving goodbye at her, leaving Zero Two much more surprised. To her, Miku initiating positive contact was a very foreign concept to her but odd enough, she didn't hate it.

She doesn't even notices the small smile on her lips as she heads back home. 

* * *

Back with the boys, Zorome was busy passing time by playing with his pen. It was absolute torture being stuck with Hiro for a whole two hours of silence, but he'll be damned if he ever starts talking with the wuss. He'd rather eat shit than be all chummy with the guy who started it all.

 _'I mean just look at him!'_ He thinks to himself, glaring daggers at the guy, _'He's so hopeless he's-_

"Zorome."

Surprised by the sudden call, he turns his chair towards Hiro and asks, a bit pissed over how Hiro addresses him so casually, "...what do you want?" he says a bit roughly,

"I think it's time we should talk."


	13. Chapter 12: Insecurities and Reflections

"I think it's time we should talk" Hiro tells Zorome with a determined look on his face after a long time for self reflection. Wasting two hours of detention with nothing but the silent treatment, Hiro concludes that they both deserve some proper closure just so they could continue on with their lives as if nothing ever happened between them; they didn't even need to be friends again, well, if they ever WERE friends anyway.

"There's nothing to talk about." Zorome mutters while facing away from the raven haired teen. Zorome wasn't the type to talk about his feelings, in fact, he majorly sucks at it because once the going gets tough, he explodes like a bomb.

And the last thing he'd ever want to do is open up to the wuss who was being hypocritical for his own sake. _'He talks about opening up when he doesn't even do it.'_

"I believe there is.." he hears him talk once more before pausing, a pregnant silence ensuing, only to be interrupted by Hiro, "You know...I remember you and I being good friends back then..you'd challenge me all the time with different things and regardless who wins or lose, we'd just laugh it out and continue the next day.." his voice comes out more softer than he'd expected. Facing up, he looks at Zorome with a tinge of melancholy in his eyes.

"So why...why'd we become like this?"

Silence was his answer.

Sighing, Hiro tries once more, "Can I at least know why you hit the ball at me earlier?" he asks, to which, Zorome instantly replies in a matter-of-fact kind of tone, "You deserved it."

"Why?" Hiro prods further.

"Because." Zorome could feel his blood boiling again over how insistent the other guy was.

"Because?"

Like gasoline being poured into fire, Zorome stands abruptly from his seat and combusts, "Because! Goddamnit, why're you so irritating? Making me share my _feelings_ and shit; like you're the one to talk! For the past five fucking years you've never even shared an ounce of what's going on in your goddamn head and you expect _me_ to open up to you? Well guess what, I'm gonna do it just so you could understand why I fucking hate you so much and maybe then, you'd leave me alone, huh?!" He finishes out of breath by staring hard at Hiro, who had pretty much bowed his head when he started ranting.

When he feels his emotions come down, Zorome sits in his chair once more with his head on his hands. _'No backing out now..'_ taking a deep breath, he begins his story.

"Believe it or not...I used to envy you back then…." 

* * *

" _Look you fools! Marvel over Zorome-sama's super greatness!"_

 _Third grader Zorome gloats as he shows various soccer tricks to a few kids who've been playing in the playground. He is satisfied when he hears the overflowing compliments coming from them as their eyes sparkled everytime he keeps the soccer ball up in the air, after all, he IS a natural after all with the sport._

" _Woah!"_

" _Amazing!"_

" _How'd you do that?"_

" _You're so great Zorome!"_

" _That's Zorome-sama to ya!" He playfully scolds._

 _Yes...this was what he wanted to hear. Praises of glory was music to hears; now if only his parents could see just how great he was instead of going to different places all the time. Maybe if they could actually stick around, then they'd realize how lucky they were that HE was their son._

 _Thinking about his mum and dad left a bitter taste in his mouth._

 _Anyways, he and the other children continue on for a while, only for their happiness to be cut short by the teacher in charge. On their way back, he could hear the hushed discussions of his teachers by the faculty room and out of curiosity, he stays back and listens for a bit._

" _That student of yours, Hiro was it? I've heard he's a natural at public speaking, is it true?" One teacher asks._

" _Oh yes, yes it is! That child is very charismatic, despite only being in the third grade. He's also very good with other subjects too, I even heard from the principal that his records show he has an IQ of 148!" The other teacher beams in pride._

" _That boy, he must be a prodigy!"_

" _True! He's the best student in our school after all!"_

 _After hearing his teachers talk on and on over Hiro's greatness, something in Zorome snapped. He wanted to be boasted upon as well. He wanted his teachers to acknowledge him like Hiro, but all he ever gets is a scolding over how poor his grades were because of his love for soccer, making him realize that in school, things such as sports and arts weren't favored as much as being academically inclined._

 _This is later further confirmed as he goes home, he hears the other kids talk about Hiro being such a great student and how they all wanted to be like him._

 _Hiro._

 _To be fair, he and Hiro were good friends because of Futoshi. Just like any other kids, they'd meet up along with the others at the river bed and talk and play all day. They'd also play video games on weekends and swap comic books for the other to read. They had fun indeed, but whenever his faced with the fact that Hiro is always being put on a higher pedestal compared to the others and him, he itches over the thought of surpassing him one day and at least getting acknowledged by the adults._

 _And from that day on, he vows that one day, he will._

* * *

"Because of you...I stopped playing the one game I loved and was ever good at; football, just so I could start studying to be better than you and damn was it so hard, even so, I strived 'cause I wanted to be better than you, show the others you weren't as special as they claimed to be, and yet…" Zorome pauses, letting the wooden desk consume him.

"It didn't even bother you, all my constant pestering and challenges. In fact, you'd always smile and tell me to do work hard and do my best. That irritated me, yeah, but it helped me keep on going for my goal 'cause I know someday, I'm gonna reach it and I'm finally gonna get the praise I deserve."

"But one day, you changed." his hands clenched into a fist. "One day, you stopped caring. You stopped standing out and hell, you even stopped talking for the whole seventh grade back then! I know that I should've took that chance to surpass you but, fuck, it would mean nothing. If I, after all the sacrifices I've done, couldn't be able to surpass the Hiro everyone adored, then what was the point? Why would I settle for anything less? Because of you...all these years..my efforts..in vain..because of you...my dreams..wasted…" Trembling over the overwhelming feelings he was having at the moment, Zorome couldn't help but let a few tears slide before shouting,

"Don't you see?! Because of you, I wasted my whole goddamn childhood over something I was never good at and in the end, I didn't get a single good thing as payment for ALL the sacrifices I've made!"

"In the end, All of them only sees me as the Zorome whose a dumbass, that one guy who gets in trouble just for breathing…" He looks up at Hiro who was staring at him in disbelief and..

' _Pity?'_

Zorome's lips curves into a hateful smile.

"..Well, look who's starting to actually care?" 

* * *

Hiro felt his whole insides grow cold.

After hearing Zorome's story, never would have he imagined just how big an effect he had on the shorter boy. As he was being praised for being a 'prodigy', here was Zorome doing his very best just to be acknowledged, even for just a tiny bit, only to be rewarded by disappointment by none other than him.

' _Prodigy..'_

Hiro hates himself more after this.

' _If only you were normal like the others...if only you'd just shut your big mouth and tried blending in with the others..!'_

"Zorome, I…"

"Save it, I don't need your pity." Zorome interrupts, "After all, didn't I tell you, I only said what I've said just so you could understand why I hate you. I don't wanna be friends with a wuss like you." damn, that hurt.

"No..it's not like that..I don't expect you to be my friend again after all the things I've made you go through.." Hiro murmurs, making Zorome turn to him in confusion. "What?"

"I...because of me..this prodigy shit..I've disappointed a lot of people because of it..even myself.." Hiro grits his teeth, trying to control his emotions. He looks at Zorome and smiles ruefully, "hey, if you were jealous of me back then, so was I" Zorome eyes him in disbelief, "Yeah, you might've been a little rowdy and brash, but you were also very passionate and driven-something I was not."

"Beneath this perfect image everybody let on, I had nothing. I had no fire like you, and seeing you back then getting driven, failing, and getting up again like nothing happened, I was happy for you and at the same time jealous…"

"I knew I lacked purpose, something you and everybody has, and I tried searching for it, but I couldn't find it. The prodigy status made me resent myself, because I knew deep inside, amidst all the praises I've garnered because of it, I was nothing. Instead of filling me, I felt worthless and empty because prodigy status aside, who was I? What did I have? Why couldn't I be like all the others?"

"I hated it. Hated how even I was claimed to be someone smart, I couldn't find the answer to my questions. It frustrated me to no end that the only solution I could think of was to destroy every part of me." Hiro faintly recounts to the days he even tried destroying his physical body just to feel better and shudders at that dark memory. "And it worked. I've destroyed every single aspect that binds me to the Hiro of the past, and yet, I still couldn't find what I was looking for."

"I know, I've disappointed a lot of people in the long run, but hearing your story, I couldn't help but hate myself even more for it. You're right, I really am better off dead." a few tears escapes Hiro's eyes over his emotional outburst, meanwhile, Zorome is left shock in his seat. In his mind, he's always thought Hiro was confident with himself and his reclusive state was merely an act of arrogance. Never in his whole goddamn life would have he imagined Hiro acknowledging his past efforts and even admitting jealousy towards him, and never had he expected the guy to be much more complicated and a little fucked up on the inside.

He couldn't help but feel guilty over everything he's done.

Still, Zorome couldn't help but cling on the last bit of pride within him. Yeah, he was slowly understanding what was in Hiro's head, but what about him? He was affected in everything, too after all. Hell, he gave up football for this man! Well, almost, since he starting playing again recently.

But still…

Before he could even set his thoughts straight, the teacher in charge of them barged in, startling the two of them. Being dismissed, the two immediately head out of the classroom, but suddenly, as Hiro passes by him, Zorome hears him quietly whisper,

"I'm sorry…"

Somehow, his guilt grows even stronger. 

* * *

Back at home, Zorome lies on his bed talking to Miku on the phone. Once more, she scolds him, but this time, he's a lot more receptive towards her.

"Oh I almost forgot! Earlier, some perverts tried to attack me." He hears her say on the other line.

Instinctively, he yells, "WHAT?!"

Miku giggles, "Relax, Zero Two was there to save me."

' _Zero Two? The horned chick?'_

"In fact.." Miku softly says, "I kinda realized just how unfair I was being with her. I immediately disliked her for her horns and kind of let my pride get the better of me, instead of getting to know her more…"

' _Pride…'_

"Anyways! I realized she's actually a good girl! A little intimidating though.." After talking for a few more minutes, Miku hangs up, leaving Zorome to his own thoughts.

He writhes in bed in frustration. _'AARRGH! This is why I hate thinking!'_

To ease him, he gets his phone and chats Futoshi, who was thankfully online.

' _Fatty.'- Zorome_

… _.._

' _I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT :I' - Futoshi_

' _Hiro and I talked.'- Zorome_

" _Soooo how'd it go?' - Futoshi_

Zorome pauses for a while.

' _Zorome?' - Futoshi_

' _I'm a jerk.' - Zorome_

' _Then just apologize, problem solved.' - Futoshi_

' _I don't know how..:(' - Zorome_

' _Hmm..I'll accompany you then ;)' - Futoshi_

' _Thanks Fatty.'- Zorome_

Before he could read Futoshi's reply, Zorome turns off his phone and goes to bed, knowing that tomorrow will be another long day ahead.


	14. Chapter 13: Runaway

The next day, Hiro exits his apartment feeling a bit more sullen than usual because of what happened yesterday with Zorome. He still feels guilty over being the reason of the other boy's insecurities and wishes that if only he wasn't who he was back then, then maybe they'd be living a far more better life than this.

But they can't because of him.

It's his fault.

With his resolve to go to school slowly breaking, he feels an arm snake across his back, pulling him into a bear hug. Gasping, he turns to see Zero Two behind him with a happy grin on her face. "Let's go darling!" She beams but he couldn't respond at once because of yesterday's events replaying on his mind. Just then, a sudden dread grows in the pit of his stomach. _What if one day, he disappoints Zero Two like all the others? What if she hates him like all the others? What if one day, she realizes just how messed up he and then-_

He gulps. _Leaves his side?_

He thought he'd be used in being left alone, but for once, solitude greatly scares him

Hiro stands frozen in his thoughts, his lips slightly quivering. Observant enough, Zero Two immediately feels something's off with her darling. _'Did something happen yesterday?'_ She wonders to herself before shaking him lightly. "Darling? Are you okay?" she asks, worried.

' _huh?'_

Regaining his senses back, Hiro's eyes instantly focuses on her teal ones', that showed her concern for him. He feels his dread disappear and be replaced with warmth as he realizes how Zero Two was different from the others; they understand each other's pains, both experiencing what it feels like to be alone within different circumstances.

They were both different, but very much similar in a number of ways.

"Ah, I'm fine, let's go, shall we?" Hiro smiles at Zero Two which instantly brightens her mood once more. Giggling, she grabs hold onto her darling's arm before heading their way to school. 

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Zorome asks his bread loving friend with doubts lacing his head. In his hand, was a box that contained a dove shaped bread filled with custard. Embarrassed, Zorome cringes, "I-isn't this a bit too...girly?"

"Of course not!" Futoshi grins, giving his friend a pat on the back. "Doves are symbols of peace, something you'd want with Hiro, right?"

"I just want to apologize..what's with all the symbolism crap?" Zorome argues.

"Well, you DID ask me for some help, so just suck it up and let go of that pride of yours!" hearing his friend's worse, Zorome does nothing but grumble under his breath. "Look, there they are!" Futoshi points at the couple.

Before Hiro and Zero Two could enter their room, they see Zorome and Futoshi standing by the door. Zero Two doesn't mind them but Hiro is visually perplexed. He still hasn't recovered from their emotional talk yesterday and if he could, he would hide his head in his bag all day as he doesn't feel confident facing Zorome.

His nervousness gets worse when their eyes meet, violet clashing with aquamarine. When they're both standing face to face, Hiro instantly lets his gaze drop to the ground.

' _Darling?'_ Zero Two worries once more.

"..Zorome...I..-

"No, wait listen." Zorome interrupts, prompting Hiro to look at him. His surprised when he sees the shorter boy averting his eyes as well, trying to keep his cool persona but failing because of the light flush on his face. Even Futoshi noticed it and was trying to keep himself from laughing. _'If only I had my camera with me!'_

"Look...I, uh...about yesterday...I wanted to say sorry about the ball incident, even if you DID deserve it a bit.." Zorome suddenly winces in pain as Futoshi elbows him hard at the side. "-A-anyway! After that talk, I kinda realized a few things and…" Flustered, he pushes the box to Hiro's chest, making the other slightly stagger backwards. "Here! Take this, just so I could get this over with!" Zorome says loudly. "A-and don't think just because of yesterday's talk I'll be all chummy with you! Like what I've said before, you're still my rival and always will be!"

Hiro, slightly surprised, scratches his cheek, "U-um, thanks Zorome.."

His cheeks puffing, Zorome turns his back at the three, "Don't get the wrong idea, Fatty made me give you that."

"OI!" Futoshi interrupts.

Ignoring him, Zorome slides the door open, not bothering to look back in order to hide his small blush, but not before saying,

"Anyways..see you later wu-...Hiro.."

Entering the room, he is instantly greeted by Miku, who had Kokoro by her side smiling nervously. He gulps as he recognizes the face Miku was pulling at him just now, with her ahoge swishing left to right and a mischievous glint in her eyes, she was obviously teasing him. "What the fuck woman! Where you spying on us?"

"Ohoho~ and what if I did?" she counters. "By the way, I love the blush on your face. Would you mind accompanying it with some lipstick as well?" and so, another round of battles begin with these two.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Futoshi was talking to Hiro, alongside Zero Two.

"Hey Hiro, don't feel too bad. You know how Zorome goes all 'tsun, tsun' when he gets nervous." He grins while patting Hiro's back. "Anyways, catch you later! And don't forget to share that with Zero Two!" Futoshi points to the box sitting on Hiro's palm.

Normally, he should start feeling better, but Hiro still couldn't fight off the heavy feeling in his chest; something he'd still be carrying until later at lunch. 

* * *

Even with the misunderstanding between the two being solved, Zero Two notices how quiet her darling was being. Yeah, he wasn't that much of a talker, but this time, it really felt like something was bugging him, so as she swallows her honey coated steak, she turns to him and asks, "Darling, you've been awfully quiet since this morning. Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" Hiro asks, snapping out from his trance.

"Well for starters, I know you're always quiet, but darling you're usually chatty when we eat. You'd usually ask me silly questions, until now, so what's wrong?" Hiro sighs, realizing he couldn't hide from Zero Two and her strong, observant skills. "You see...I'm still a bit bothered with yesterday's detention.."

"Why?" Zero Two asks, cocking her head to the side.

"Zorom told me why he hates me and I realized...everything was really my fault…" Hiro says while looking down, his hands playing with the rubble on the ground. "..if only I was just the same as the any other kid, then maybe…." He takes a deep breath,

"...Maybe I wouldn't be so pathetic…."

There was a long silence before Hiro sees Zero Two suddenly stand up. His heart immediately falters as he's struck once more of the fear of her leaving him for his weakness. _'She is really gonna leave me…'_

Hiro's eyes widen in surprise when he sees her jumps over the railings and lands at the edge of the building, her feet dragging her gracefully along the narrow path, with one wrong move, she could easily fall down to her death. Instinctively, Hiro panics and runs toward her, reaching out his hand to her. _'Where are the teachers when you need them?'_ He calls out to her in desperation, "Zero Two come back here! You could die!"

She looks at him dead in the eye. "Once we die, we'll only be a statistic. We wouldn't matter in the end.' her words sends a shiver to his spine.

' _It's true, but even so…'_

"Look, Zero Two, it's not safe there, just please take my hand and get back here!" He strains further to reach her, which thankfully, she obliges by taking his hand and pulling herself back up with ease. Both of them land on the ground with Zero Two on top of him. Blushing over their, rather, intimate position, Hiro couldn't help but ask,

"You could've died there!" Zero Two shrugs before lifting her body away from him, opting to sit in a cross legged position. "I wanted to see how you'd react that's all." this mildly frustrates him, "Why would you do that?"

"I wanted you to feel what I'd feel if you did the same." she says with a serious expression. "You're not pathetic, darling." she mutters loud enough for him to hear.

"Zero Two…"

"Run away with me."

"W-what?" he asks, surprised. They've just met and now she's asking him to suddenly run away with her? A slight blush creeps its way to his cheeks, prompting Zero Two to realize the misunderstanding her darling was having.

"Oh no! Not like _that_ " She waves off, "I meant, you know, let's ditch class!" She grins mischievously.

"But what if we get caught?"

"We won't! I know a way where the guards won't see us!" She reassures before taking his hand. "Come on, I'll take you somewhere you nice!" trusting her words, Hiro follows her with a small smile forming on his lips because he feels that with Zero Two, nothing, not even his past, could hold him back. 

* * *

Lunch had ended fifteen minutes ago and the History teacher had already entered the room, yet there was no sign of Hiro and Zero Two. Ichigo grows concerned for the both of them, opting to write a hidden note, which she passes to Goro.

 _Have you seen them- Ichigo_

Goro looks back at her, a knowing look on his face, before writing down his reply.

 _Hiro and 02? Weren't they eating lunch at the rooftop awhile ago?- Goro_

Ichigo sighs and stares out the window, only to notice a pink haired girl running hand in hand with a raven haired boy. At first, she thought she was merely hallucinating due to her growing concerns for the pair, but taking a closer look, her eyes widen over the realization that those two were actually Hiro and Zero Two!

What makes matters worse is that they were heading out of school just to ditch classes, and as president, this was highly unacceptable!

With her chest tightening for unknown reasons, she tells herself she should talk to Hiro and Zero Two for some explanations.


	15. Chapter 14: Helpless

"How much farther, Zero Two?" It's been an hour since both Hiro and her left the school. _'We totally forgot our stuff!'_ Hiro mentally notes, a bit relieved he at least brought with him his phone and wallet. Right now, he was trailing behind Zero Two in some unknown forest area that was at least 45 minutes away from the city, if taking the bus. The place was something new to Hiro, since he never really left the city anyway, and was actually surprised Zero Two knew a place like this. It was quite mystical, to say at least, how the moss covered trees seem to reach and touch the clouds and how the ground seem to sparkle, thanks to the dew.

Why Zero Two chose this place, he'll never know.

He knows just how defiant the horned girl was, fully capable of doing stuff like ditching classes, but the moment she asked him to come with her, and with that hopeful smile of hers, he doesn't know why he agrees without any question, even if he was fully knowledgeable of the consequences their actions would reap once they get caught; but Hiro couldn't also help but feel an exciting thrill course through his veins.

It felt like he could face any sort of danger as long as he was with Zero Two.

"We're closer now darling, just a few more steps." She calls out to him, and truth be told, after a few more minutes, they arrive at a stop. Looking up, he sees they were standing right in front of some kind of entrance. The entrance was a small cave that had long vines, peppered with white flowers, falling from the top, sort of like a curtain.

"Let's go, darling." Zero Two reaches out her hand, to which he gladly grabs. Passing through the viney curtains, Hiro is immediately consumed with cold darkness. "Careful darling, it's a bit slipper here…" Zero Two whispers, holding his hand tighter. Squinting, Hiro could see they were getting closer to the end of the tunnel, with the light growing

bigger with every step they take. Soon, he finds himself adjusting to the bright light entering his eyes.

When his vision cleared, Hiro finds a huge lake right across them. It mesmerized him how crystal clear the water was, sparkling beneath the sunlight with it's turquoise green hue. Crouching forward, he could also see that the lake was brimming with marine life, with a few fishes swimming by the shore.

"Look darling! I caught a crab!" He hears Zero Two call out excitedly.

Running to him, she puts out her cupped hands to his face so he could see the tiny little crab trying to escape from her hold. "Isn't he cute?" she says. "Wanna hold it?"

Reluctantly, he agrees, putting out one hand as she slowly ushers the little crustacean to his palm. Immediately, he is greeted with the ticklish feeling of its legs, letting out a soft chuckle only Zero Two could hear. "Gee darling, I never knew you were the ticklish type~" she teases, a small smirk adorning her rosy lips. Staring at them, Hiro blushes before turning away.

His mind wanders back to the kiss they shared when he walked her home. He could still feel the softness of her lips and how she tasted sweet like the candy she always eats. A part of him wanted to confront her on the sudden action, but chooses not to, just to avoid any awkwardness to develop between them.

But a small part of him also wonders if she'd do kiss him once more and this time, how would his reaction be.

He's broken out from his thoughts when he hears the sound of shoes fumbling. Realizing Zero Two had left his side, he finds her seated on a wooden platform, with her shoes and socks taken off, slowly unwinding her muffler, revealing the smooth, creamy skin of her neck. Hiro gulps loudly at the sight.

"Darling? Why are you staring at me like that?" Zero Two's voice wakes him up from his stupor, resulting in him blushing even harder than before.

' _These damned hormones…'_

* * *

Sitting right beside her, Hiro had also removed his footwear, choosing to dip his feet in the refreshingly cold water. Meanwhile, Zero Two was busy skipping stones, trying to see which stone could go on the longest. "Try this darling! This is super fun!" she chastises him to which he politely declines. "I'm fine seeing you have fun."

"Suit yourself!"

After a few moments of silence, Hiro speaks up, "Listen, Zero Two, why'd you bring me here? To be honest with you, I was kinda expecting us to be at some arcade or something.." He bashfully says, it was really quite strange for her to bring him to some peaceful place, considering how feisty her personality is. "Don't you like it here?" Zero Two questions, her head cocked to the side. "I love it." he instantly replies, prompting Zero Two to shrug and put her hands behind her back, "Well then,if you love it here, then, why I brought you here shouldn't matter at all right?"

He makes an unsatisfied face, to which she immediately notices. Sighing over how persistent her darling is, she adds, "If it really is important to you...this is Cerasus lake, named after the cherry trees growing nearby." Zero Two points at the trees before continuing, "Somebody once told me about this place, but I've only came here by myself." her voice comes out a whisper,

"This is a place I go to whenever I feel like sad, that's why I brought you here, 'cause you've been looking all down in the dumps since this morning darling." Hiro smiles, taking her hand and interlocking his fingers with hers'. _'So this was Zero Two's way of cheering me up..'_

Never in his life did someone actively try to cheer him up, until now, and for that, he's thankful.

"Thank you, Zero Two."

Zero Two doesn't respond, instead, she splashes Hiro in the face, stunning him. Snickering, she teases, "You always manage to make weird faces darling." shivering from the cold, Hiro frowns a bit over her seemingly disregarding his heartfelt gratitude, but when he feels a warmth settle just beneath his chin, he realizes Zero Two was leaning against him, snuggling comfortably. At first, he tenses over the new found intimacy they were sharing, but soon relaxes and finds himself leaning closer to her as well.

"I'm glad you liked the place, darling." her warm breath tickles his chest.

"Mm." 

* * *

After drying up, they both venture back out of the forest and board a bus back to the city. Hiro suddenly hears a grumble coming from Zero Two, who smiles sheepishly at him. "Looks like I'm a bit hungry, darling." she says, "I know a place where we could eat." he suggests. "Let me treat you there, as a thank you for bringing me to Cerasus."

Soon enough, as they get back in the city, he brings her to a well known food alley that had a lot of stalls catering to various local dishes. Zero Two could feel her mouth salivating over the aroma coming from left and right. Indeed, she was feeling much famished than ever

Damn her darling for bringing her to this torturous place!

Just then, her darling pulls her over to a small stall that looked very oriental with its dragon like motifs. It had a sign that read 'Ichiban! Tako!' with a drawing of an octopus giving a thumbs up. Sitting on one of the stools, Hiro reaches out for a menu and gives one to Zero Two. "This is my favorite place to eat back then. Their takoyaki is better than all the others because they actually put a whole baby octopus in." he could see Zero Two's eyes twinkling in hunger, prompting him to call the order taker. "Let me order the specia-

"One baby tako with mentaiko please." Zero Two interrupts while pointing to the menu. "And your sauce will be?" the waiter asks. "The Honey Teriyaki glaze." she answers with vigor. The waiter turns to Hiro and he orders the same as hers, although with a different sauce. Once their orders were served, Zero Two instantly pops one takoyaki in her mouth, not minding the how hot it still was.

"Mmm! Delicious!" She moans while stuffing another one in her mouth.

"You sure know what to order Zero Two." Hiro compliments. She looks at him, with her cheeks cutely puffed up from the takoyaki. Swallowing, she tells him,

"I've been here before."

"Really?" Hiro asks while taking a bite of his own food, genuinely surprised.

She only nods. 

* * *

Soon after, they find themselves back in school. Classes have ended thirty minutes ago, which means they could sneak in and grab their bags. Upon doing so, they immediately leave the classroom before anyone could see them.

"Hey Zero Two, thanks again for bringing me to that lake. It really helped me take my mind off of things." Hiro says, smiling once more at the pinkette.

"As long as you're happy, darling. I'd take you anywhere you'd like." she says.

"Speaking of anywhere, I remembered wanting to travel the world, but now, I think that'll be too weird for someone like me, eh Zero Two?" he looks over to her who had a calm look on her face. "No..not at all.." she murmurs.

Suddenly, a feminine voice calls out from behind.

"Ehem."

Looking back, both of them are surprised to see Ichigo, who had her arms crossed and a stern expression etched across her soft features. Instantly, Hiro felt nervous. Ichigo was known to be strict when it came to discipline, and as the school's president, who knows what sort of punishment she could give, even if said offender was her friend. "I-ichigo.." He stutters, looking away, meanwhile, Zero Two still had a calm, yet questioning look on her face.

"Do you need anything?"

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo turns to Hiro and puts on a smile, something which unnerves him to no end, "Don't worry, I told the teachers you and Zero Two both had to go to the clinic." she places a hand on Hiro's shoulder reassuringly, "However, as president, I'd like to inform you that cutting class is a major offense and must not be attempted ever again, is that clear?" Hiro gulps, nodding, "Yes ma'am." turning to Zero Two, who was quiet the whole time, Ichigo looks her in the eye, a silent tension brewing between them, "As for you, Zero Two, since you are a new student, I'd like to have a word with you in private."

Zero Two stares down at the short woman, whose intense gaze didn't seem to waver. Sighing, she has no other choice but to agree, "Fine."

"But Zero Two-" Zero Two flashes a reassuring smile at Hiro. "I'll be okay, darling. You go on without me." She says. "Are you sure?" She nods before ushering him to go home so she could get things over quickly.

Once Hiro was gone, she turns to Ichigo once more, a more intimidating aura radiating from her.

"Now, what do you want?" 

* * *

"As president, I'd like to remind you that you shouldn't go around breaking rules, especially since you're a newcomer here. If ever you attempt doing something stupid again, I would not hesitate to reinforce punishment, if it means I'd be able to discipline you." Ichigo reprimands Zero Two, who seems to be lacking interest with the talk.

Yawning, she looks down at Ichigo and says blankly, "Is that all?"

"Actually, there's one more thing…" Ichigo says.

"You're really bossy, aren't you?" Zero Two cringes. "Thanks for the compliment, but anyway, it's about Hiro…" Zero Two's ears perk up at her darling's name.

"Hiro..? You mean my darling?" Inwardly, Ichigo winces at the girl's endearment towards her childhood friend. It felt very uncomfortable hearing Hiro be called as such. "Anyways, I've noticed how the two of you seems to be very close from the start, and I'm happy for the both of you.." She begins,

"But I think you should know by now...Hiro's a bit on the vulnerable side, and as early as now, he's growing dependent on you." Ichigo pauses before continuing, "..Too dependent..and with the situation now, and how the two of you seem to be _overly_ affectionate with one another, which is another offense worth noting, I believe it's better if you give Hiro some space…" Zero Two knots her brows together; who does she think she is, trying to dictate her on how she should be with her darling?

And now, she wants her to give some space to darling? There's no way in hell she'd do that now that she's found him.

"It's darling's choice to keep on being with me, not mine.." She murmurs, not bothering to look at Ichigo in fear that she might not be able to control her own emotions at the moment. "I know that." Ichigo answers back, "and that's why I'm asking you this favor. Please, if you really do care for him, give him some space."

"And what if I don't?" Zero Two challenges, and when Ichigo doesn't answer, she further taunts, "You'd take him from me won't you?" Ichigo's eyes widen, "No! That's not it! I- leave me out of this!" she says loudly.

"If that's the case, then stay out of it." Zero Two crosses her arms, "Darling and mine's business should be none of your concern."

"I have every right to be part of your businesses!" Ichigo argues, "You're a bad influence to Hiro, you could get him in all sorts of trouble!"

Zero Two merely glances at the trembling girl, "Well, if that happens, then that would be his doing, not mine." she says rather coldly, but deep inside, Zero Two was having a myriad of feelings.

 _She's not wrong though.._

 _I'm nothing but a no good troublemaker.. A freak.._

 _I…_

*SLAP* 

Zero Two feels a sting on her right cheek. _'Did she just…?'_ slowly turning her head, she sees Ichigo with her hand in the air right after slapping her. She notes how red her palm looked and wonders if it hurts far more than her cheek. Suddenly, she smells something salty and realizes tears were starting to form in Ichigo's eyes.

"How could you be so heartless?"

Despite the sting in her words, Zero Two couldn't find it in her to be mad at the girl, after all, how could she? She knows everything she's told her was true.

 _But even so.._

"Aside from being president, what right do you have in telling me what to do with my darling?" Ichigo's eyes widen, "I'm.."

"You're right. Darling's mind right now is messed up, but in all your years, have you tried reaching out to him? Understanding him?" Ichigo turns silent.

"No right? Well if you didn't know, _I_ was able to get inside him. _I_ was able to hear his pains, hell, _I_ was there to make him laugh. Have you?" No response, "Exactly. So don't you dare tell me what to do with darling because you have no goddamn idea with everything he's gone through till now!" With that, Zero Two leaves Ichigo frozen on the spot. 

' _I'm never letting you go darling..ever!'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Ichigo's heart is thumping hardly, she feels as if she couldn't breathe over the new information she's gotten from Zero Two. She knew that Zero Two had a point, she was president, yes, but her power only reigns throughout the school, not with another person's heart; but Hiro was a dear friend of hers, and it was natural for her to become protective with him, especially since it was a new sight to see him being so transfixed with another person, let alone, a girl.

And it unknowingly pains her to no end.

Feeling a wave of hopelessness wash over her, she shakily grabs her cellphone and presses a series of numbers.

"Hello?"

"Goro? I need to talk to you."


	16. Chapter 15: Anemone

_WARNING: Again, some parts of this chapter might be quite triggering for some, especially those who are experiencing depression and has attempted any sorts of self harm. If it makes you uncomfortable, then please skip that certain part, or better yet don't read the chapter for the sake of your own mental health._

 _Also, I've changed the ratings to M because of the upcoming chapters that might tackle deeper with this issues._

 _As always, Reader's discretion is advised._

* * *

Ichigo sat by her front porch in the cold night air waiting for someone. The wind was starting to blow harder and tiny droplets started coming down from the sky, their numbers slowly growing before pouring almost all at once. Her nightgown was beginning to dampen and the rain puddles splashed beneath her feet, staining the with mud. She knew she should get inside in order to avoid the wet damaging her immune system but she was enjoying it, the slight pitter patter that echoes with every drop and the way the rain seems to wash over the earth, cleansing it.

If only the rain could wash away her doubts and worries.

Up till now, she still couldn't get over the talk she had with Zero Two. Tensions arose between them, and in her emotions running wild over the horned girls cold words regarding Hiro, Ichigo slapped her, hard. The moment her palm hit the other girl's cheek, she knew she was goner. To be honest, she felt a tinge of fear thinking what might Zero Two do to get back at her. If the rumors about her being a delinquent was true, then she was fully capable of resorting to violent means.

But what Zero Two did was far more hurtful than any slap she could receive.

Instead of retaliating, the horned lady remained calm, but her teal eyes held a storm that could engulf her whole. When her mouth opened to speak, it felt like dagger after dagger came shooting at Ichigo's heart. 

" _Aside from being president, what right do you have in telling me what to do with my darling?"_

That's right, she was JUST the president. Outside of this role, she no longer has a hold on Hiro and his safety… 

' _But even so..I've known him since childhood...I'm his…'_

' _...friend..'_

" _You're right. Darling's mind right now is messed up, but in all your years, have you tried reaching out to him? Understanding him?"_

Could she even call herself one? A friend? If she was, she should've been able to reach out to Hiro or listen to him pour out his inner demons, his fear and everything that was weighing him down; but she didn't and he doesn't allow her to.

Did Hiro even consider her as his friend? 

" _Well if you didn't know, I was able to get inside him. I was able to hear his pains, hell, I was there to make him laugh.'_

Why?

Why did it have to be Zero Two? Why couldn't it be her? What made her special that Hiro would choose someone he just met over her, as well as the others, who he has known for all his life? Why was it that his smiles were reserved for Zero Two alone?

Would it be selfish of her if she wanted one for herself?

The tightness in her chest grows until she finds herself choking in her own tears dropping like her own personal raindrop.

"Ichigo?" Ichigo slightly jumps at the call of her name. Looking up, she sees the person she was waiting for holding up a red umbrella.

"Goro…"

"What are you doing out here? You'll catch a cold if you keep this up!" Goro lets go of his umbrella and gives his wraps his jacket on the slightly shivering female. As he gets a close look on her face, he notices a streamline of tears pouring down her eyes. "You're crying…" he notes softly, lifting a finger to wipe away some of her tears.

"I…"

* * *

"So you've spoken to Zero Two…." Goro says thoughtfully after listening to Ichigo's story. Ichigo nods, her head hung low. "I don't know what to do…."

"I'm supposed to be the president, and he and I go way back…" she feels fresh, hot tears starting to form in her eyes. Once more, she's having trouble breathing with the tight pain in her chest. Goro could only look in silence.

"But even so...I couldn't help Hiro...I couldn't reach him, but..she's there for him now, and that's what Hiro wants.." she cries and turns to Goro, who was growing more worried for his friend by the second.

"Ichigo?"

' _Why am I like this?'_

' _I can't stand it, my mind's a mess!'_

' _I hate this!'_

' _I…'_

Suddenly, she feels herself being pulled into someone's warmth. A strong pair of hands were going up and down her back trying to soothe her and she blushes at the close contact, "G-goro?"

"I don't know how to say this but...I've known Hiro for a long time too…" Goro's breath fans her cheek, "and we live in the same house as well...so it also pains me whenever I see him looking so depressed. Even if I'm literally near him, I couldn't do a goddamn thing to help him...and to think I'm supposed to be his best friend…" His voice comes out softly as he voices out his own worries to Ichigo who has managed to calm down a bit.

* * *

 _14 year old Goro was walking through the empty halls of the school as he plans to head home after some voluntary hall monitoring, when he suddenly sees through an open door a flash of black hair standing in front of a mirror._

' _Strange, I thought there were no more students in the area' he wonders._

 _Approaching the person, he realizes that the black haired teen was his best friend Hiro. Goro looks at him in question when he sees the boy looking sickly pale with a slightly pained expression on his face. "Dude you look bad, are you-" his eyes went down and sees Hiro holding out a bloody razor to his arm peppered with long cuts that almost made his stomach churn._

 _In panic, he quickly marches towards the boy and throws the razor away, getting a few cuts in the process. "What the hell were you doing Hiro!" He yells, shaking him hard._

" _Goro...please.." was all Hiro could say, averting his gaze from the raging man before him._

" _How long have you been doing this?" Goro points to Hiro's arm, which was profusely bleeding through the thin cuts. "Doesn't it hurt you?"_

 _Hiro shakes his head, his eyes unfocused as he shoots a weak smile towards Goro. "Whenever the blade hits my skin...I feel more alive than ever before..I haven't felt that way in a long time…"_

" _What the hell are you talking about? You could actually die with one wrong cut!" Goro protests, his grip on Hiro's shoulder tightening. Hiro doesn't answer for awhile, before murmuring,_

" _Just forget what you've seen, Goro."_

 _Goro's eyes widen over his friend's irrational request. 'If I do that, he could kill himself..and that would be my fault!'_

" _Y-you...want me to turn a blind eye?" He says in disbelief._

" _Yeah.." Hiro nods._

" _But…" Hiro gives him a more firm look, despite how weak he looked. Taking a deep breath, Goro reluctantly asks, "Are you going to keep this from everyone?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _Even Ichigo?"_

" _Yeah."_

 _Trying one last time to reason out, Goro says "Look, you-_

" _Sorry." Hiro pushes past him, leaving him alone with only his reflection as his sole companion._

 _Clenching his fist, Goro cries through gritted teeth. 'I couldn't do anything…'_

" _You...You're…"_

' _I'm…'_

" _A complete and utter fool!"_

* * *

As he recounts the time he saw Hiro engage in self harm, he remembers just how dead his eyes looked and how it shook him to his core. Until now, he still hasn't told anyone what he saw back then, even Ichigo, over the fear of what Hiro might do as a result. Till now, he carries the guilt of not being able to stop him, even now, he's seen Hiro through the slightly open door of their bathroom holding a razor in his hands and he would turn his cheek and let his imagination run wild over how many cuts his friend were making. It made him sick.

But when Zero Two came along, things with Hiro felt a lot more different.

Looking back at Ichigo, he tries giving her a reassuring smile, "...but you see..when Zero Two arrived, I feel like something's changing in Hiro, a good change. He seems to smile more and if you take the time to look him in the eye….it feels like he's seeing things more clearly. He feels more alive Ichigo, and that's good!"

"Earlier, when he arrived home, I was about to scold him over ditching classes, but the moment I saw him enter with a big smile on his face, I couldn't find it in my heart to get mad at him..I know, Zero Two might be quite a handful, and what they both did was inexcusable in the name of the school, but...you're right when you said Zero Two was what Hiro needs, and as his friends, we should support his relationship for his sake…" He says while wiping the few tears that escaped Ichigo's eyes. Smiling, he tells her,

"For now, we've just gotta learn to trust the both of them." 

' _Trust them huh…'_

Ichigo stays still in Goro's arms for moment, both of them watching the rain in silence. When the rain stopped, she stood from where she was sitting and grabbed Goro's umbrella, passing it to him with a small smile on her face. "It's getting late. You better go home."

"Would you be okay?" Goro asks, a bit reluctant to leave her side. Ichigo's smile grows into a grin as she gives him a thumbs up. "Stop worrying about me, silly! I'll be fine." she says before pushing him down her porch. When he prepares to leave, Goro flashes a grin of his own while waving to the small girl. She waves to him as well, but not before saying, "Thank you.."

"Hey, what are friends for?" he replies, putting his fist in front of her, to which she bumps hers' with. "See you tomorrow as usual?" she nods, "Yeah, same time okay?"

As Ichigo stares at his retreating form, she smiles to herself over how Goro would always be there for her, one call away. He was the one she'd run to whenever she felt down or pressured with the responsibilities of being school president. He was the only one she'd tell her secrets and insecurities to because she knows how understanding and patient he was with her. For her, Goro was like the brother she's never had, and like Hiro, he holds a very special place in her heart.. 

' _Hiro…'_

What Goro said was right. As Hiro's friend, she should support him with whatever decisions he'd make, as long as he's happy; and if he wants to be with Zero Two, then there was nothing she could do but accept it and root for their happiness. She should probably apologize to Zero Two too, since she slapped her a bit too hard for her liking.

But even with this new found resolve...why did the pain in her chest doesn't seem to disappear? Alone once more, she whispers softly to the breeze 

"...What was this feeling?"

* * *

 _Author's Note: The Anemone is a flower that represents fragility, which in Ichigo's and Hiro's case, fits perfectly well._


	17. Chapter 16: Exposed

It's been two weeks since Ichigo confronted Zero Two about the whole Hiro thing. During those days, she hasn't found it in herself to approach and apologize to the pinkette because one, even if she knew she had her own faults, Zero Two's hurtful words still seems to bite her in the chest, and two, whenever she did muster up the courage to speak to the horned girl, it feels like Zero Two was purposefully avoiding her by clinging to Hiro.

Ichigo sighs; the situation was hopeless.

As a result, she waits and gives Zero Two time, and maybe, when both of them has probably cooled down, then they could talk it out and hopefully get to know the other better- all for Hiro's sake.

Meanwhile, Hiro and Zero Two's relationship was growing closer as each day passes. True to word, Zero Two managed to tone down the affection she gives Hiro when in public, but during their more, private moments, she opts to cuddle against him or intertwine her fingers with his, whether they were at the rooftop or at a secluded part of the library. In Hiro's case, he was starting to grow more comfortable with Zero Two's touches and teasings, managing not to blush all the time. He was also starting to unconsciously crave for her touch that leaves him feeling warm all over, instantly feeling cold whenever they part.

What hasn't changed though, was that his heart would race whenever he was with Zero Two, in fact, he feels like his heart was beating much faster than before.

' _Somehow, there's this fleeting pain in my chest whenever I'm with Zero Two…'_ Hiro clenches his shirt with his fist, feeling the erratic beat of his heart as his gaze wanders to the pink haired girl sitting beside him. Zero Two notices him staring and instead of teasing him as usual, she gives him a bright smile.

Smiling back, he thinks to himself _'Whatever it is...it makes me feel alive.'_

* * *

"Man, just look at them being all lovey dovey again." Zorome half gags while eyeing the two 'love birds'

"Jeez! Stop being such a baby!" Miku teases. "In fact, aren't you being a lot more soft these past few days with you-know-who?" she smirks while motioning towards Hiro.

Truth be told, ever since the two of them spoke about their feelings, Zorome became much more friendlier with Hiro in a, well, Zorome kind of way; from ditching the 'wuss' nickname, to asking him to play ball with him and Futoshi to which, the boy would politely decline.

"S-shut up! It's not like I'm trying to be all chummy with him…" Zorome flushes, making Miku snicker over the boy's stubbornness. "Yeah, yeah..you and your tsundere tendencies.."

Again, like any other morning, the two engage in another ahoge battle, "Ehhhh..who're ya calling a tsundere? Wasn't it you who had a boy crying because you told them they weren't good enough for you, EVEN IF YOU HAD A HUGE CRUSH ON HIM?"

"Please, that was in the eighth grade! Besides, at least SOME people have crushes on me, unlike you…" Miku scoffs at his face

"Well FYI, I have you known a lot of the seventh graders send love letters to my locker!"

"Ohoho~ So you're a lolicon eh? I sh-"

"Mou, would you two please keep quiet?" Ikuno scolds while rubbing her temples. "Ikuno's right, you two are starting to attract attention." Ichigo says.

"Honestly, I think you and Miku would make a great couple, Zorome." Futoshi snickers, bread in between his fingers, like usual.

"They'd be a stupid couple, that's for sure." Mitsuru adds coldly. Meanwhile, Kokoro giggles lightly over the possibility of her best friend dating Zorome.

' _It would be like some sort of TV drama sort of romance!'_ she thinks happily to herself.

* * *

"Ne darling, you've got plans this Saturday afternoon?" Zero Two asks while lying on Hiro's lap, her eyes staring at him widely. "I don't usually go out, so no." Hiro answers, absentmindedly twirling a piece of her hair with his fingers. "Is that so…."

Sitting up, Zero Two grins, their faces just inches apart. "If that's the case, let's hang out!" she beams. Hiro thinks for a moment, since he hadn't really hang out with the others in a long, long time. _'A day with Zero Two….alone..'_ a light blush spreads across his face before he answers, "S-sure..sounds fun.." Zero Two lets out a small 'yay!' and hugs him quickly but for Hiro, it was enough for him to enjoy her warmth. "Where we going though?" he asks once she lets go. With her fingers rubbing her chin, Zero Two puts on a thoughtful expression. Suddenly, her eyes brighten as if she's gotten an answer for a difficult question. "I know!"

"We can chill at my apartment!"

Hiro gulps. Being alone, with a girl like Zero Two, in their apartment, ALL ALONE. What if she attempts to kiss him again? What if she takes things further? _'W-what if we….!'_ he feels something wet gushing out from his nose, which doesn't go unnoticed by Zero Two, who immediately grabs her handkerchief and wipes the blood away. Snickering, she says,

"Darling you pervert! I'm not talking about _that_. What I meant was, we could go watch some movies and play video games!" Hiro immediately reddens over his lewd thoughts. "T-that's right...I'm sorry.." she just laughs at his cuteness and flops right back on his lap, her hands mindlessly sketching something on her pad. Curious, Hiro tries to take a peek at what she's drawing.

"Hey, Zero Two, you seem to like sketching huh.." he's noticed how she would keep sketching even during classes, or sometimes, when they walk home together, she'd stop and look at some materials from any art store they pass by. "What are you making?"

"Mou, I haven't really shown anyone my sketches before…" Zero Two smiles sheepishly, "But if it's darling, then it'll be alright.." slowly, she lifts up her pad and reveals a realistic drawing of a bird with its wings spread wide, flying towards the sun's rays. "Wow, this is amazing, Zero Two…" he compliments, but as Hiro further examines the sketch, he notices the bird had two heads but shared one body.

' _Is this..?'_

"That's a Jian." Zero Two says as if she had read his mind. "Someone once told me that a Jian bird only possesses one wing, and unless a male and female pair lean on each other and act as one, the-"

"-...Are incapable of flight…" Hiro finishes, leaving Zero Two surprised. "You know it too?" he nods, smiling a bit, "I read it in a book once…"

' _Could he really be..?'_

' _But then, why…'_

"So.." Zero Two starts, "..what's your opinion on it?" she asks slowly. "The drawing? Well, I'm not some artist but I-

"I mean, the Jian's legend.." Zero Two cuts him off, a serious expression adorning her sharp features. "O-oh..well I.." Hiro thinks for a moment before giving her his answer, "To be honest, I think they're pitiful creatures…" he panics when he sees Zero Two's gaze falter, "B-but! It doesn't really matter since it's just a legend, right?"

"..Is that so…" she whispers,

"Zero….Two?"

Shaking her head, she looks back at Hiro and smiles sadly, "I'm fine darling, it's just...for me, even though they're incapable of flight; even though they're Imperfect, incomplete creatures,"

 _Imperfect, incomplete creatures_

"But for some reason, their way of life struck me as profoundly beautiful."

* * *

Saturday finally came, and Hiro found himself waiting on the front porch of Zero Two's home. He decided to wear something casual, donning a plain black shirt and some ripped denim jeans. Also, based on Zero Two's request, he brought some snacks, as well as her favorite candies. He knocks, the door instantly opening, revealing Zero Two in a fit white shirt, black shorts and her hair tied up in a ponytail. Surprisingly, she didn't have her muffler on.

"Thanks for inviting me." he greets.

"Come in darling, I have everything all set!" she grabs his hand and leads him inside, dragging him to her living room. "Have a seat darling!" she chimes.

"B-but, let me put down the snacks first…" he says. "Oh no, let me do it for you, since you are my visitor!" Zero Two grabs the snack in his hands. "Aw, you got me some candies! How sweet of you, darling!" she gushes while prancing towards her kitchen to set down the food. Hiro sees her bend a little forward, slightly making her behind look more pronounced, plus the way her hair was tied left her white, smooth nape bear for him to see.

Hiro blushes. _'Now's not the time for that!'_ he mentally berates himself.

Zero Two comes back and notices his red face. "Darling, are you okay?" she asks, leaning closer. "A-ah...it just feels a little hot in here.." he tries reasoning out, averting his gaze. "Really? Then would you like to stay in my room? There's an air condition there.."

' _Z-zero Two's….room?!'_ his mind spins over the thought of entering a girl's room.

"N-no! It's fine! I..I'll get used to it!" he reassures her.

Blinking twice, Zero Two can't help but wonder how weird her darling was being in her home.

* * *

"So, what are we gonna watch?" Hiro, who was now sitting comfortably in her sofa, asks. A part of him expects her to put on some random action or horror movie. Zero Two searches intently on her laptop. "Aha!" she exclaims before grabbing a cord and connecting her laptop to her TV. "We're gonna watch, 'The Lion King!'"

"Lion King?" he sweat drops, clearly not prepared with that surprise.

"Mhm!" She smiles, "I love Disney with a passion…" Zero Two says rather excitedly. "They have wonderful stories and their animation is just so colorful and vibrant and SMOOTH, SUPER SMOOTH! Plus, they have wonderful romances and, OH! Don't get me started on their songs! I've downloaded every single soundtrack of every Disney movie, starting from Pinnochio to-

Hearing Zero Two ramble about her love for disney with stars bursting out of her teal eyes, Hiro couldn't help but let out a small chuckle over how endearing she looked. _'This is another side to her I haven't seen till now..'._ Patting on the seat beside him, he tells her, "Alright, I get it, you love Disney. Now let's go watch that movie so we could watch as much as we want."

' _Maybe I should try watching more Disney as well…'_

* * *

Currently, they were watching 'The Little Mermaid.', which was their fifth Disney movie in a row. In 'The Lion King', Zero Two was bawling over Mufasa's death (even if she had watched the movie for like, fifteen times.), and practically, made him dance around when 'Hakuna Matata played, not to say he didn't enjoy it.

Next in play was 'Mulan'. Zero Two marvelled at the last part where the protagonist was fighting against the villain at the emperor's palace and both of them tried to stifle a laugh when 'A Girl Worth Fighting For' started playing.

After that, they watched something more recent, 'Descendants'. Zero Two told Hiro how she really loved the romance between Mal and Ben. When he asks why, she simply tells him it's because Ben falls in love with her, regardless of who she was. "It reminds me of a story I've heard back then.." she says. "Maybe I'll tell you some other time, darling!"

Once that was finished, they opted for a more, sci-fi and action type of feel; 'Big Hero 6.' Let's just say both of them were utterly mesmerized with the graphics, especially with how surreal San Fransokyo felt. Also, Hiro felt a connection with the protagonist, who also shares his name, because of both being called a 'prodigy and the emptiness they both felt, though due to different circumstances, until they met a special someone. To Hiro, he saw Zero Two as his own personal Baymax, sans the chubby body. Meanwhile, Zero Two, who suddenly felt a craving for warm hugs after watching, tackles Hiro on the sofa, and is now on top of him, snuggling against his chest.

Now with the new movie rolling, he could feel Zero Two's light snores rumbling against his chest. He peeks down to see her eyes fluttering closed and her rosy lips forming an 'o'. _'She's cute when she sleeps'_ he muses to himself, smiling. Until now, he still doesn't know why his heart beats strange when he's with her. Yeah, he found her attractive and yeah, he likes it when they touch, but what was this feeling burning inside him whenever she smiles or reveal her inner most passions to him?

Well, whatever it was, he didn't hate it.

Unconsciously, his hands go up and down her back and his fingers find their way to her silky locks, gently combing it, earning a soft moan from the sleeping girl. Hiro blushes at the sound and peeks at her face, his eyes going down to her lips, entranced by how red and shiny it looked. His throat goes dry and he gulps.

' _M-maybe if I could…?'_

Before he could even comprehend what he was doing, Hiro gently cups her cheeks and leans in, but just before their lips could touch, Zero Two's eyes fly open, gazing at him mischievously.

"Ehhhh~ Darling you pervert!" Like a bolt of lightning, she quickly straddles him and begins tickling him in different places. "That's what you get for being perverted!" She teases, tickling him on his sides.

"STOP-AHA-IT, ZERO TWO!" Hiro pants, writhing under her, but she ignores his pleas and tickles him harder, laughing over how flustered Hiro was getting.

"P-plea-ahh-se, AHA! Stop it!" Hiro grits his teeth.

"NEVER!"

With a quick surge of adrenaline, Hiro manages to grab Zero Two's arms and flips the over, with him being on top this time. Heaving, he says, in a tone that comes off much huskier than he intends to, "Stop it."

Still laughing with her eyes closed, Zero Two slowly opens them and finds Hiro's bare arms right in front of her, 

Then she sees it. 

Her laughter slowly dies down and she stares silently at the horizontal scars that painted her darling's flesh. She notices a few were still fresh, probably only a few weeks old. _'It couldn't be..'_ she tries denying to herself, but it all made sense with how her darling was more pessimistic compared to others, and how willing he was to give up his safety for her back then with those thugs. Hiro notices her gaze, realizing she has found out about his habit. Immediately, he distances himself from her and sits at the far part of the sofa, trying to cover up his scars.

"Darling…" she says softly,

"N-no..it's not what you think.." he says weakly, suddenly feeling an itch on his arms 

' _I have to…'_

"But-

"This….it's nothing!" his surroundings spin, making him want to throw up and pass out 

' _I'm weak, I'm helpless…'_

 _._

 _._

 _._

"Darling!" Zero Two calls out loudly, making him turn to her. Her. everything was blurry except her.

He stares at her with unfocused eyes, slowly taking in how she hesitantly lifts up her left arm, slowly revealing the same gruelling marks he has on his own, albeit more faded and fewer in number. _'She did too?!'_ his mind says in disbelief.

"Darling…" she says, her voice soft and calming, "We have to talk."


	18. Chapter 17: Patchwork

"You too, huh…" Hiro murmurs, both of them side by side with only their body warmth providing comfort for the other. When Zero Two saw his scars, he didn't expect her to show hers as well; in fact, he never saw her as the type to engage in any kind of self harm with how optimistic and bubbly she was towards him. Then again, thinking back to the time she got beaten up by the thugs, Hiro knows she could've finish them up within mere minutes, seeing how she did after he showed up; but no, she let them do what they wanted towards her, no matter how painful it was for her.

" _I...I've always been alone..things like this, I'm used to it."_

What if that was her way of coping with the solitude the world has forced upon her because of her horns. What if they really were similar in a million ways..

Hiro gulps, beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead, "Back then, was that the reason why you didn't defend yourself against those thugs?" she looks at him, a blank look on her face confirming his suspicions. A feeling of dread enters him.

"I've told you before...I'm used to it.." she says, a rueful smile etched on her lips, "At first, it hurted like hell, in fact, I felt like I was about to die with every blow I get." she takes a deep breath, trying to choose what words to say, "But despite how bloody and badly beaten I get after every fight, I'm still alive. The pain my body felt burned, but it also gave me a rush, a thrilling feeling and because of that, I began craving for more fights in order to test how strong my will to live was."

' _I felt more humane...more complete'_

"But it wasn't just that, I felt that I deserved to live a life full of chaos. I felt that every punch I get is a punishment I get for existing in this world, and in a sick, fucked up kind of way, I wanted it. _Craved_ it even. This feelings became too strong that I started doing _this._ " Zero Two points to the faint scars on her arm. "Although I only did it once. It didn't feel as thrilling

"Why?" was all Hiro manages to ask.

Zero Two shrugs. "It's because I'm a monster, perhaps.." she lightly touches her horns.

"But, that was all in the past." she looks at him with a soft look that makes his insides melt. "Once you've found me, I KNEW you would be my darling, and the moment I saw you shed tears for me, I vowed to myself I'd never go back to who I was back then, because right now…" she caresses his cheek lovingly and manages to give him a bright smile,

"I'm happy…"

 _Still..I.._

Hot tears were flowing freely from Hiro's eyes, his chest felt so full at the moment, it felt like it would burst any second. Instinctively, Zero Two leans closer to his face and licks away some of his tears, to which, if done in any normal circumstance, he would be blushing hard, but what he was feeling was all too surreal he couldn't bother being flustered.

Never in his life, has he felt so full. Never in his life had he met someone as broken as he was, yet willing enough to bare open their hearts and be able to smile so sweetly while doing so. Never had he imagined how just how important he was to Zero Two just as she was to him. Everything just made him feel so...so..

Happy.

"Since I've told you my story, it would be better if you share me yours.." Zero Two says, "But I'd understand if you won't…anyways, let me make you some hot chocolate, maybe that would make you feel better." As she stands, she feels a hand hold onto her. "No, it's fine, please just stay here." giving him a look of questioning, Zero Two finally agrees, but not before saying "Then would you tell me what's going on inside your head?" and to her genuine surprise, she sees Hiro slowly nod his head.

* * *

"Remember when I told you about feeling empty back then?" she nods, looking down at their hands that were still holding on to each other tightly, before looking back up at Hiro's aquamarine eyes. "Like what I've said, people regarded me as a prodigy back then..and long story short, I grew to _loathe_ that image. I felt nothing, and...and it scared me." Hiro trembles. "The emptiness I felt at such a young age, the lack of purpose, and the pressure to uphold my image came crashing down on me all at one, and I…"

"I…."

Zero Two's hold grows tighter, comforting him. Taking a deep breath, Hiro continues. "I broke. I stopped caring all at once, it felt like I was some sort of zombie. I was good as dead."

"Still, everything feels so complicated! One moment I'm overcome with so much hate for myself, and the next, I didn't even give a damn!" Hiro raises his voice in frustration. "I hated it...hated how I was back then and I hated what I've become! I just wanted to die!" he growls, hitting his head with his free hand. "While when I felt absolutely empty, I itched. My whole body itched to feel something, _anything_ and because of this, contradicting thoughts running over and over in my head, I resorted to cutting." Hiro looks over to Zero Two, his lips forming a weak smile, eyes dull like murky water.

"I'm fucked up, aren't I?" he asks, but before Zero Two could respond, he begins once more with his story, "Anyways, it all started when I was doing some art assignment alone in my room. I had to use a cutter for my artwork, and all was normal until I felt the pointed object prick my finger." Hiro raises the very same finger to his eyes, reminiscing that small, burning sensation that started it all. He takes a deep breath, "I didn't know why, but the moment the blood oozed out my finger, I felt light and at ease. The next thing I knew, I was running the cutter along my flesh, a scorching tingle erupting every time a new wound opens."

"After that, I did not stop, I couldn't stop! because It just felt so good….. _Too_ good, even when Goro tried to stop me, I didn't listen, because nobody knows just how goddamn hard everything is for me!"

Zero Two stares at him with concern-filled eyes, she could feel Hiro's hand growing cold and he was already visibly trembling over spilling out too much information. She knew just how hard it was for him to fully open himself up to her and she knew it would be even harder for her to help him, knowing all too well she was as messed up as he was.

She knew she needed some help, and she knew just where to ask for it.

But for now, as Hiro slowly descends into a mental breakdown, all she could do is pull him into her arms and whisper any sort of comforting words she could muster into his ear.

"Hey, darling, since we both told each other our weaknesses, don't you think it's best if we overcome them together? After all, we are partners." she feels Hiro slowly nod against her bosom.

* * *

Darkness.

That's what accompanied him as he lies in bed staring blankly at the ceiling and when he closes his eyes, all he could see is Zero Two.

Zero Two…

She was changing him. Back then, Hiro would have never dared opening up his deepest, darkest thoughts to anyone, after all, once he stopped caring for himself, he stopped caring for others as well, but ever since he met the horned girl, he could feel every ounce of him changing. He found himself opening up to Zorome the other day, and this time, to her, even risking a mental breakdown because of that. He also found himself craving the warmth she was giving him, making him want to convey that same kind of warmth towards her. Hell, he hadn't told her earlier that ever since they've met, not once did he feel the strong urge to cut up more wounds on his arms, just the occasional itch that could be easily avoided.

It was thanks to her that the emptiness he was feeling was slowly being filled with an emotion he couldn't quite name yet, but somehow, he had a feeling this emotion would be the catalyst to his change into someone who'd be able to stay by Zero Two's side.

Because of that, he would forever be grateful over meeting the said girl by chance at the Sakura Tree on top of the hill. If they hadn't met, then what would've become of him today and in the coming future?

Well, if all of this was some sort of dream, then Hiro would rather not wake from it.

* * *

It was after classes, and Ichigo was tasked to bring some materials to the student council office from the supplies closet. Entering the stuffy room, she sees the box of papers the council needs up high on the shelves. _'Great..just what I needed.'_ she huffs. Stepping on whatever object she could use as a platform, she reaches up to no avail. "Goro should be doing this…" She grumbles, straining with all her might to grab the box.

Suddenly, she hears the door creak open, making her lose her balance. Ichigo lets out a high pitched yelp, but instead of hitting the ground, she feels a pair of hands holding her under her armpits and bringing her back to her feet. As she turns towards her savior to express her gratitude, her eyes widen in surprise seeing a pink haired girl with a pair of red horns.

"Z-zero Two?!"

Ichigo feels a wave of awkwardness come at her, making her avert her eyes to the floor. Till now, she still hasn't apologized to Zero Two for hitting her. _'Looks like now's the right time for me to apologize..'_ "U-um, I-"

"Ichigo, can I speak with you for a moment?" Ichigo notes how the girl before her seems much more meek, compared how closed off she was being two weeks ago. "Sure, what's up? Also, I'd like to say sorry for what I did two weeks ago..I-

"It's about Hiro."

Hiro?

Ichigo feels her blood run cold at the mention of his name. Did something happen to him? Did him and Zero Two fight, explaining why the girl in front of her looked so uneasy? Whatever it was, she needed answers.

And she needed those answers, now.

* * *

It was strange.

Usually, he and Zero Two would walk home together after class, but today, she tells him to go on without her. When he asks why, she just tells him the headmaster was calling for her, but deep inside, a part of him knows she wasn't telling the truth. In fact, she was acting a bit strange the whole day, being more withdrawn the whole day, even when they were alone.

Did he do something wrong? Did she finally realize just how messed up he was and decided it was better to leave him be? Fearful thoughts ran inside his head but he chose to ignore them. _'No, Zero Two wouldn't do that. She even told me how happy she was being with me…'_

Yes, Hiro decides he should strengthen his faith towards Zero Two, since she had just poured out her heart to him, and he, the same last had made it clear that she'd be there to stay and comfort him through the tight hug they both shared. She even promised that despite their weaknesses, she'd accompany him in overcoming them. All he has to do is believe in Zero Two, and believe he shall do,

After all, like what she's said, they were partners.

* * *

Ichigo couldn't believe it. All this information made her feel dizzy, making her stagger a few steps backward, almost stumbling back. "I...I never knew…" yes, it was apparent to her how depressed Hiro acted, but she never really realized how worse it was for him.

In fact, never had she suspected him of ever cutting himself!

"D-does, Goro know?" Zero Two eyes her thoughtfully before speaking, "I think I heard darling mention his name…"

' _He knew? Then why didn't he…'_ Ichigo feels slightly betrayed being left in the dark by her two friends, thankfully, Zero Two sensed what she was feeling and attempted to clear the situation, "Darling said Goro tried stopping him...I believe darling might've force your friend to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing…also, I too believe this issue shouldn't reach the others, considering how sensitive it is"

"Even so, I…" _'couldn't do a single damn thing!'_

"Nobody's to blame here. You care for him, it's apparent, that's why I asked you for help." Zero Two turns away, "I, don't think I could do this alone...darling is lucky to have friends like you," _'unlike me…'_

"So please, help me help darling. Teach him to lean on others more." Ichigo feels her chest grow warm. She realizes her judgment towards Zero Two was wrong. She wasn't the heartless person she thought she was, instead, Zero Two also had a vulnerable side to her, especially when it involves the person special to her.

'S _he's just like me…'_

Through Zero Two's request, she feels the resolve to help Hiro grow even stronger. All she had to do was think of ways in order for her and the whole gang to get closer to Hiro once more, and with Zero Two's support, she believes they could do it, no matter how hard it may be cracking Hiro's shell.

In fact, she thinks there's something all of them can do, especially with the first set of exams just lurking around the corner.

With a determined glint in her eye, she smiles at Zero Two, a silent camaraderie brewing between the two ladies,

' _For Hiro's sake….'_ "Zero Two, I think I have an idea that could help"

* * *

Hello everyone! I'd like to once again, thank all those who are reading Hello Darling! Your support inspires me to widen my horizons when it comes to writing! also, a shout out to my dude at reddit, lgknightor1 for the welcoming feedback and wonderful ideas! Good luck with your powerpoints dude.

Also, I'd like to talk about how Zero Two seems a bit more caring towards pre!Memory wiped Hiro than the female fatale she appears to be in the original story. well, since this AU is in a normal setting, Zero Two was able to have Dr. Franxx and her sister (guess who) as her family, so she was raised learning values needed in dealing with others. Also, her main goal isn't to become human, since she is one, just with horns, so she isn't gonna go ape shit towards our squad 13. her main goal would be tackled as we go deeper with our story.

Speaking of the story, I've been planning to separate it into three major parts since it's gonna get veeerry long, meaning Hello Darling! would be the first part. I've had the skeleton for Hello Darling's flow done, with just a few minor changes being considered. So rest assured, where far from done with this story!

Lastly, I think ya'll have noticed that this arc has been focusing on depression and self harm and I wish I could be able to reach out to those who are experiencing the same pains and troubles. I want all of you to know that you are beautiful creatures worth fighting for and there would be people who would be willing to listen to you, such as me. If you'd like, you could just send me a private message here or on reddit and I'd gladly PM you back!

Finally, I don't own anything related to DitF, except this story. all credits goes to its original owners. Please enjoy and right a review if you can!


	19. Chapter 18: Let's all get along!

_Through Zero Two's request, she feels her resolve to help Hiro grow even stronger. All she had to do was think of ways in order for her and the whole gang to get closer to Hiro once more, and with Zero Two's support, she believes they could do it, no matter how hard it may be cracking Hiro's shell._

 _In fact, she thinks there's something all of them can do, especially with the first set of exams just lurking around the corner._

 _With a determined glint in her eye, she smiles at Zero Two, a silent camaraderie brewing between the two ladies,_

' _For Hiro's sake….'_

" _Zero Two, I think I have an idea that could help"  
_

* * *

"You want a what now?" Zero Two asks, a bit surprised over what the bluenette was suggesting.

"A study session with the others." Ichigo reaffirms. She remembers back then when they were kids, Hiro would gather the whole group when exams were near so they all could study together, and if one of them had a hard time with a certain subject, Hiro would gladly help them till they understood it. _'Those were the days…"_ Ichigo thought to herself in nostalgia. "But why?"

"Well, you see…" Ichigo starts, "studying together had always been like, some kind of tradition, between us and Hiro when we have exams. It only stopped when Hiro kind of...shut himself off.." she frowns slightly. "But, I think, if we try studying together again, this could help Hiro open up more, plus, I think it would also be a great opportunity for you to bond with the others, since you are, kind of part of us now because of Hiro." Ichigo finishes with a smile.

"So, what do you say?"

Zero thought silently for a while. In all honesty, although she finds some of Hiro's friends okay, she still didn't find herself comfortable with spending an ample amount of time with all of them, she prefers spending time with her darling, alone. Also, the concept of 'study sessions' as a group was a bit foreign to her, given that all her life, she was mostly left alone. It all felt a bit overwhelmingly awkward for her.

Another factor was that she really wasn't really fond of studying. she was the type to let her mind wander during classes and probably do some late minute studying the night before the exams. To be honest, she'd rather laze around while sketching on her pad, than grab some Math book and study whole day long. _'_

 _A pain in the ass'_ she would inwardly shiver. 

Still, if Ichigo, her darling's childhood friend, thinks that this would be a good idea, then she has no choice but to oblige, all for her darling's sake. Besides, it's not like she's gonna _actually_ study. 

She could always pretend to, anyway. 

Sighing, Zero Two looks back at Ichigo and nods, "let's do it.." she says, in a sullen tone. Seeing how Zero Two seems to be taking her idea quite heavily, Ichigo couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Was the alleged 'Yankee Killer's' weakness studying? Well, that wasn't very surprising at all, but seeing how the horned girl's shoulders were slumped and how she had a small pout on her face made her look really funny. 

"Gosh, you look hopeless.." Ichigo comments. 

' _But she seems more normal than I thought…'_

* * *

The next day, Ichigo tells the others about the study session, which was a bit of a surprise for them since they haven't been doing that for _years_. 

"You want us to study together like before?" Goro asks Ichigo who nods. 

"But, isn't this all of a sudden?" Ikuno wonders out loud, prompting the bluenette to turn to her. "It might be so..but, I want to bring back this tradition of ours, since you know..it's been years…" like what Zero Two said, Ichigo couldn't find it in herself to talk about Hiro's condition with the whole group because of, one, it was a highly sensitive issue which would be better discussed with Hiro's consent, and two, she knew that despite knowing one another for a couple of years, there was a slight bit of tension whenever Hiro was involved, especially with Mitsuru, for reasons she does not know, and probably Zorome, who had fought with Hiro two weeks prior. 

But she should probably talk to Goro about Hiro, given he, too, knows about his self harming tendencies; actually being a witness to one of his, many attempts. 

"Well, I don't see the harm with it.." Kokoro chimes in softly with Miku immediately agreeing, "Yeah! It'd be just like the old times, right?" she beams and Ichigo smiles.

"Will Hiro come?" Zorome suddenly asks, being now more at ease with calling Hiro by his name, rather than 'wuss.' "And Zero Two as well?" Futoshi adds. "We don't have to concern ourselves with those two anymore. Besides, they seem better off with just the two of them together." Mitsuru answers cattily.

Ichigo sighs; this was the tension she was thinking about earlier.

Clearing her throat, she tells them, "Anyway, if it's okay with you guys, we could stay at my place till six on Wednesday. Alright?" after making sure everyone agreed, Ichigo turns towards Goro, "Goro, I'd like to speak to you at lunch.." a bit confused, Goro ultimately says 'yes'.

* * *

"So you finally know it too, huh…" after speaking to Ichigo about the things she's learned from Zero Two, Goro felt a pang of guilt settle in his gut; wishing he could've been as open as the pinkette when it came to Hiro's secret. When he sees Ichigo nod at him, a sadness filling up her eyes, he felt even more guilty. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner…" he murmurs, putting his hands in his pockets.

"No it's fine, I understand.." Ichigo tries reassuring but he shakes his head, "No, if I could've just told someone about it...then maybe it would've stopped.." 

"...It's my fault…" 

Suddenly, he feels a pair of warm hands press against his cheek, lightly squishing them. _'What the-?'_ he looks down to see Ichigo gazing at him intently. "If you're at fault, then I should be at fault as well for never noticing until now.." she squeezes his cheeks a little more, "but now's not the time for blaming who's at fault. Like what Zero Two told me, we should help Hiro in whatever problem he's dealing with!" 

' _Ah, there it is...that determined look that makes me love her even more.'_ Goro thinks fondly, before carefully removing her hands on his face. "You're right." his lips slowly forming into a grin as he pats her softly on the head. 

"In any way we can, as his friends, we should always be there for Hiro…"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Zero Two leans on Hiro with their backs facing each other. "Ne, darling…" Zero Two starts, "Ichigo approached me earlier…" Hiro slightly turns his head towards Zero Two, a bit curious on what the two girls might've talked about. "Oh? What did she say?" 

"She said we should join them in some study session." _'Study session, huh…'_ Hiro thinks to himself.

He remembers back then, when he was more happy and outgoing, he'd initiate study sessions with the group with the intentions of both helping them and making studying a bit more lively. He remembers how they managed to sneak in funny stories that'll make all them roll on their backs, laughing, or how they could go on with hours of silence, yet no awkwardness would loom over them. He'd always look forward for their study sessions back then, but since he started feeling more different, soon, their group tradition came to a stop.

Thinking about it now, a part of him misses those kind of peaceful moments. 

"Darling?" Zero Two calls out, managing to break him out of his thoughts. Hiro faces her and sits a little straighter, "Yeah?"

"What do you think? Should we come?" she asks, her eyes showing a small bit of hopefulness. "I don't know…" Hiro answers honestly and her gaze drops a bit. Noticing this, Hiro asks, "Do _you_ want to go?" 

' _I hate studying but-'_ "Well, I haven't been invited to any kind of study session, so I'm a bit curious.." Zero Two manages to say. "Also, Ichigo and the others seem nice, so why not?" she grins and since Hiro couldn't really say no to her requests, he concedes. "If you want to, then I see no harm in going." Hiro says while thinking that now was probably the time he started reaching out to his friends once more. 

Besides, he had Zero Two with him, nothing could possibly go wrong. 

Whatever problem they may face, they'd surely face it together. 

Suddenly, Zero Two envelops him in a hug. Squeezing tightly, she beams happily now that Hiro agreed to Ichigo's plan. "Yay! Thank you darling!" once she lets go, Hiro asks her where would be the venue of their study session be and she tells him at Ichigo's house. They continue on with the break in silence, when Zero Two grabs hold of his arm all of a sudden, rolling his sleeves up to reveal once more the scars he inflicted upon himself.

"Z-zero Two?" Hiro asks, a bit perplexed. He could feel a slight tingling every time her fingers slightly trace the patterns of his scars. It almost felt, electrifying. "Is everything alright?" he asks her one more time.

"This scars…do they still hurt? Is the pain still unbearable?" To be honest, they didn't, but he knew what Zero Two's words meant; they were much deeper than that. "Not anymore...but the negative feelings beneath these scars...they still haunt me to this day..and it..it scares me…" he looks down. "...but when we talked last time..I realized, I wanted to stop; I _needed_ to stop. For your sake, at least…" Hiro answers truthfully. 

' _I wanted to believe in your words..'_

"Even so," he hears her say. Looking up, he sees Zero Two smiling fondly at him. With his arm pressed against her chest, Hiro could feel the slow, rhythmic, beating of her heart calming him, and slowly, he feels his own heartbeat synchronizing with hers'. "They still look beautiful.."

"And why is that?" he asks in a hush tone. 

"No matter how painful the emotions behind these scars may be, they're beautiful because they're a part of you darling. They're a symbol of how you still manage to stay alive despite how hard your circumstances are.." she explains. 

"That's why, if possible...please live for me, darling.."

* * *

It was Wednesday, after school, and all the others were by the school's gate, slightly wondering why they haven't started walking to Ichigo's yet for their study session.

"Hey, Ichigo, aren't we going yet?" Zorome asks impatiently while picking on his ear. "Besides, I don't have all day-ouch!" he staggers forward from being slapped in the head by Miku. "What the hell was that for?!" he screeches. "Come now you big baby! If you can't stay still, then why don't you just go home by yourself?"

"Well, I _could_ , if it wasn't for you always asking to tag along.." he murmurs, although Zorome fully knows why Miku would be so insistent in walking home together. 

' _Those damn, perverts…'_ he angrily thinks back to her almost attackers. 

"Yeah, yeah, but hey! With this study session, I bet you could score high in the exams so Nana-nee san could congratulate you!" Miku teases Zorome whose eyes suddenly lights up with hearts. "Oh yeah! Good thinking, Miku!" with the two babbling with each other, Ikuno couldn't help but whisper to Kokoro how the two would probably be perfect for each other. 

' _Unfortunately, those two are both dense AND stubborn to realize it…'_ Ikuno thinks exasperatedly. "By the way, who _are_ we waiting for, Ichigo?" she turns to the said bluenette, who seems to be looking at a distance. 

' _Ah! There they are!'_ she muses when she sees both pink and black haired teens walking towards them. 

"Hiro! Zero Two! Over here." Ichigo calls out, to everyone's surprise, sans Goro.

"You guys are late." Goro smirks, to which Hiro responds with a light flush. "S-sorry.." he murmurs, eyes widening when he feels the taller man fling his arm around his shoulder. "Don't sweat it dude! I was just kidding!"

"Zero Two! You're joining us too?" Miku asks, walking towards the said girl with hopeful eyes. Zero Two shrugs, "..yeah, I'm coming for darling…" the smaller girl squeals in delight, clasping the pinkette's hands with her own. "Finally, we could finally get to know each other more! Isn't that right, Kokoro?" Kokoro smiles in agreement. "I've also wanted to know you more Zero Two chan."

Zero Two could only nod in mild shock, "I-is that so…"

"Oi, Hiro!" Zorome suddenly calls out, pointing a finger at Hiro who gulps in nervousness over the rash boy's action, "I'm gonna show you just how better I am at you in Math!" he challenges, making the raven haired teen sweat drop. "Zorome, studying isn't supposed to be a competition.." Futoshi says, trying to stifle a laugh. 

"Ehhhh…?! But that's no fun!" Seeing the shorter boy pout, everyone, started laughing, making Ichigo smile. For once, everyone seemed to be getting along with one another, now that Hiro and Zero Two were with them. 

Well, all except one, that is..


	20. Chapter 19: Coffee

"Make yourselves at home!" Ichigo exclaims, a tray of drinks in her hands with Ikuno trailing behind her with some snacks. Putting both the trays down, Zero Two couldn't help but ogle at the funny looking snack on their table. It looked like a pale, powdery ball, and when she tried poking it, it felt really squidgy, kind of like a baby's bottom.

"What is this... _thing?_ " she asks, a bit amazed at how squishy it felt under her finger tips. "That's daifuku mochi!" Miku answers her, amused at how innocent the pinkette was. "Mochi?" she repeats, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "Yeah. it's some kind of rice cake filled with a whole strawberry and red bean paste." grabbing one, Miku takes half a bite, showing the insides to Zero Two who examines it closely. "It's good, try some!" she says, offering the other half to her.

Reluctantly plucking the half eaten mochi from the red head's fingers, she plops the rest inside her mouth. Chewing it slowly, she notes how sticky it felt on her tongue and surprisingly, it was sweet! Zero Two could feel her mouth singing in happiness and she wonders why hasn't she ever tried this heavenly food? She grabs another piece and stuffs it wholly inside her mouth. Seeing how she was genuinely enjoying the mochi for the first time, everyone, except Mitsuru, laughed.

"If you liked it so much, Zero Two chan, I could make you some green tea mochi." Kokoro suggests with a smile. "R-really?!" the blonde nods, "Thank you! You're so kind, Kokoro!" Zero Two beams, giving a toothy smile of her own.

"Well, well..never knew she loved eating so much.." Goro comments. "I'm not surprised, I mean, with the way she ate before...this clearly isn't something new!" Futoshi responds, also enjoying the way Zero Two looked so happy gobbling up the mochi. "Just tell her to save some for us though…" he adds while sweat dropping.

"Ne, ne darling! This tastes good!" Zero Two plops herself on Hiro's lap, who immediately blushes under the intense gazes of the others, who clearly weren't use to seeing displays of affection like this. "U-um, Zero Two, we should…" he tries getting her off but she wouldn't budge, instead, she raises a mochi to his lips and beams, "Try it darling! You'll love it!" 

"But I…" 

Suddenly, they all hear someone clear their throat loudly. "Everyone, let's please not forget the reason why we're here." Ichigo says in a serious tone. Turning to Zero Two, she tells her, "Also, I would appreciate it if you two wouldn't be all lovey dovey in my room. It's a bit…." Ichigo grimaces, trying to ignore the fleeting pain in her chest. "Distracting." frowning, Zero Two slowly lifts herself off of Hiro and sits back on the floor with a huff. Acknowledging Zero Two's obedience with a small nod, Ichigo proceeds to put down all the books they were about to study. 

"Since everybody's settled, let's get to studying, shall we?"

* * *

It's been almost an hour and a half since they've started studying. All of them agreed to start of with three subjects for this session, and three more on another day. They've just finished with History, and now, they were all reading about Physics, which proved to be a bit of a challenge, regarding how tricky some of the questions appeared to be.

Ichigo, who was busy understanding one problem, suddenly felt a hand tuck away a strand of her hair out of her face. Flinching slightly, she realizes the hand belonged to Ikuno, making her relax more. "Thanks Ikuno." she smiles, making Ikuno flush a bit. Looking away, she tells Ichigo softly, "You have that look on your face again..don't push yourself too much, okay?" Ichigo nods, grateful over how caring her friend was being. "Mm, you too." she says while patting the glasses wearing girl on the shoulder.

Strangely, the part where Ichigo touches her sends an electrifying shock all throughout her body. Ikuno blushes; why was she feeling this way?

Meanwhile, as always, Miku and Zorome were both bickering with each other, and unfortunately, Goro was sitting in between them.

"Quit pretending like you're some kind of genius, dumbass!" Miku yells as she headbutts Zorome.

"Who ya calling dumbass, dumbass? Besides, you're just jealous I got an answer while you don't" Zorome argues.

"Well sorry to break your bubble mister know it all, but once again, _zero,_ isn't the final answer!" with that, their ahoges come to life once more and begin slapping at each other, sometimes hitting Goro in the face.

"Oi, oi…" he says, perplexed. Starting to get a little irritated, he grabs both of their ahoges and pull them away from each other. "Can't you two stop going at each other's throats, for a minute?"

"That's called sexual tension, Goro." Futoshi snickers, making the two blush. "It's something essential between married couples." the bread loving man teases further.

"Stop it!" they both yell in unison, while Futoshi looks back at Goro, who was trying to keep himself from losing it. Smugly grinning, Futoshi says,

"See, I told you."

Meanwhile, while reading his own book, Hiro couldn't help but notice how drowsy Zero Two looked, given how she had her head slumped on the table and a bored look on etched on her face. Slightly worried she might not be enjoying their company, he lightly shakes her shoulders. "Zero Two? Are you okay?" she slowly gets up and yawns. Stretching her arms, she looks at Hiro, "Me? I'm fine. It's just that, I hate studying." she bluntly says. "Then how will you pass?"

She shrugs, "Stock knowledge, I guess."

Just when Hiro tries to persuade Zero Two, he feels someone, poke his back. Turning towards the person, he sees Kokoro bashfully looking at him while holding her book closely to her chest. "Kokoro?"

"Um..Hiro kun..could I ask you for some help with this question?" she nervously asks. "Uh, yeah sure..what is it?" Kokoro gives the book to Hiro, who then reads the question out loud, 

" _An archer pulls back 0.75 m on a bow which has a stiffness of 200 N/m. The arrow weighs 50 g. What is the velocity of the arrow immediately after release?_ Hmmm.." for a moment, Hiro analyses the question, and after a few seconds, he grabs some pen and paper and starts writing the solution whilst explaining it to Kokoro, who listens intently. 

"And..that's it. The answer is 47.4 m/s" turning to Kokoro, he raises an eyebrow, "Did you get all of it?" 

"Yes! Thank you, Hiro kun!" just then, Miku, who was listening the whole time, approaches them, sitting beside Kokoro. "Woah, I almost forgot how good you were at science, Hiro." said boy shrugs in embarrassment, "I-it's nothing special…" he turns towards Zero Two to see her smirking proudly at him, "As expected of my darling." was all she said but it made Hiro blush. Strangely, as a person who hated praises, Zero Two's compliment had him feeling a surge of pride in his chest.

"Zero Two's right, you really are something!" Miku says before looking at Zorome with a tired expression, "Unlike, SOME people!" She says loud enough for Zorome to realize she was talking about him. "Well, excuuuuse me!" Zorome then turns to Hiro with a dangerous glint in his eyes, "Oi Hiro, let's see who could finish with the most number of correct answers!" he challenges loudly, making almost everyone sweat drop in the room. "I…" Hiro hesitates, starting to become uncomfortable with the sudden interest in him. 

"What? Are you too chicken to fight against me? The mighty Zorome?" 

"I bet you could finish quickly. The only question lies on whether you could get at least one question right." Ikuno intervenes with her dry humor, making everyone laugh at how hopeless Zorome's one sided rivalry was with Hiro, when all of a sudden, Mitsuru stands up, his face all pale. 

"Mitsuru?" Ikuno asks, seemingly knowing the cause evident on her concerned stricken face. She was his cousin, after all. 

"I..I have to go…" he murmurs before dashing out the door, failing to realize something dropped from his pocket.

It was a good thing Kokoro quickly noticed the object, which apparently, was a small bottle; immediately reaching for it, she puts it closer to her face and examines the bottle's contents with her big, blue, eyes. 

" _Pills?"_

* * *

He hated it. 

He hated seeing him. 

Hell, he hated breathing the same air as him. 

_Him…_

' _Hiro…'_ Mitsuru thinks angrily 

In fact, he should've listened to his gut feeling when Ichigo, Hiro's dear friend, suddenly proposed for them to have a study session, which was something Hiro started back when all of them were kids; back when they were friends. 

_Friends._ Just thinking about it made Mitsuru sick to the core. If there was one thing he could change, it would be _that._

And now, he gets to relive every moment the group shared back then, when there was Hiro _leading_ them, _inspiring_ them, being _someone_ to each one of them.

He preferred when the raven haired teen was a _no one._ He revelled in twisted pleasure seeing the man he despises so much be reduced into nothing but an empty shell of his past. It made him happy seeing Hiro suffer so much in his own jail of solitude after what he's done to him before. 

' _That bastard..'_

But now, Mitsuru wishes he never came to this damned study session. Seeing Hiro slowly incorporating himself back in the group, and seeing how the others were slowly warming up to him made his blood boil. He realizes Hiro was changing, and it was all thanks to that horned girl, Zero Two. He hated it; hated how Hiro was getting back the attention he never deserved. He wasn't perfect, he was FAR from perfect. He was a pathetic, despicable, low life person who's good at being a- 

_!_

A painful sting envelops his whole chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. Gasping in short breaths, he rummages through his pockets, only to find them empty. _'My meds! Where were they?'_ another painful sting rakes right through him, making his vision blurry and his legs weak. If he doesn't go home immediately, he would probably collapse right there on the pavement. 

"Mitsuru kun?" 

Slowly, he turns to see Kokoro looking at him innocently until she notices his pained face. Quickly, she rushes to his side to support him and unwillingly, he leans on her, weakened due to the immense pain he was feeling. Kokoro leads Mitsuru to Ichigo's porch, sitting beside him while she shakily opens his bottle of pills.

"H-here, I think you need this!" without haste, Mitsuru gets the pills from her palm and drinks them without water, the dryness scratching through his throat as he coughs in pain. 

After a few minutes, the medicine's effects finally manages to calm his heart down as they both sit silently beside each other. It was Kokoro who manages to break the silence, "Are you...feeling better now?" Mitsuru nods solemnly, not bothering to say a word. 

' _Kokoro san...she saw it…'_

' _...Will she pity me?'_

A different kind of tightness invades his chest. 

"Are you sure? You looked really uncomfortable earli-" he cuts her off, "I'm fine." Kokoro looks down while trying to think of what should she say to her classmate and co-student council officer; after all, it was no stranger to her how cold and aloof Mitsuru was, but seeing him filled with so much pain earlier, it shook something within her. "U-um...is there anything I could do for you?" she offers, thinking he was never really the type to lean on others, "I could fetch you some water and- 

"Are you pitying me?" 

"W-what? No! I...I didn't mean to…" she could feel her voice falter in shame over making Mitsuru think she was pitying him. Suddenly, Mitsuru stands up and walks away, but not before telling her, 

"Please..just leave me alone..also, don't tell anyone what you saw earlier…" 

Once he was gone, Kokoro had no choice but to enter Ichigo's home and join the others once more, but somehow, she couldn't shake this heavy feeling in her chest.

* * *

It was already six in the evening when they finished their study session. Hiro and Zero Two, along with Goro went home together, since they all lived in the same street. Meanwhile, as always, Zorome and Miku leave Ichigo's place still bickering, but it was clearly noticeable how Miku was clinging tightly to Zorome's arm, which did not seem to bother the boy. Everyone thought it was sweet, but Zero Two knew the true reason why. Futoshi offers to walk Kokoro home, but she politely declines since she didn't want to be a burden to him. Once he goes off the other direction, Kokoro notices Ikuno, who was also walking alone, and decides to ask her about Mitsuru and his condition.

"Ikuno chan!" She calls out to the taller girl who stops to wait for Kokoro to catch up. "Kokoro? You need something?"

Taking a deep breath, she asks, "Um, it's about Mitsuru kun…"

"Mitsuru? What about him?" Ikuno asks, confused over the blonde's sudden curiosity towards her cousin. _'D-don't tell me she likes him?!'_

"I saw him earlier in pain, clutching his chest. Is there...something wrong with him?" feelings of worry start bubbling within her. "Oh..so you saw _that."_ Ikuno sighs, looks like she had no choice but to tell Kokoro. It would be bad to keep her in the dark, especially since she was so nurturing. _'It would worry her to no end if she didn't know…'_

"Um..well you see..Mitsuru was kind of born with a weak heart, so growing up, he was frail and sickly compared to the other children. He was even forbidden by his doctor to engage in any kind of activity where he could get physical because one time, he collapsed and fell into a coma for a few days…" Ikuno pauses and takes in the sympathetic expression showing on Kokoro's face. "But don't worry! He has already had a heart surgery and despite its' low survival rate, he managed to survive." Ikuno smiles reassuringly, "It's just that, he needs to take his maintenance pills whenever he's stressed or under the influence of negative emotions…"

"I never knew he underwent such a risky procedure…" Kokoro murmurs softly, making Ikuno place a hand on her shoulder as reassurance. "Don't worry for him too much. He dislikes being pitied on, even if you really don't." Ikuno manages to smile, "It's kinda like a blow to his ego you know, so don't sweat it." 

' _Still..'_ even after listening to Ikuno's story, she still feels like she should do something, at least, get him to lean on others more. Kokoro believes it should start with her getting to know him better. 

But for now, she had to go back home.

* * *

A few days had already passed since her incident with Mitsuru. Thankfully, things didn't seem to change between them. Mitsuru was aloof as always but they still managed to work together at the student council room, yet, a part of her felt that he was trying to distance himself from her in subtle ways.

But now, seeing him being so preoccupied with the hundreds of papers he has to deal with as secretary, Kokoro's mind couldn't help but remember what Ikuno told her 

_It's just that, he needs to take his maintenance pills whenever he's stressed or under the influence of negative emotions…"_

Because of those words, she has decided that she would help Mitsuru in any way she can, even he pushes her away, she won't, and will not, stop. 

So here she was, holding a cup of coffee, since she has seen him always drinking it, and walking towards him with a smile. "Mitsuru kun.." she calls him gently. He looks up at her, his green eyes cold as ever, before eyeing the cup she was holding. "I've made you coffee…" 

Frowning, he rejects her, "Didn't I tell you to just leave me alone?" his words stung but she her smile never falters. "If you think I'm pitying you, then you're wrong. You're a strong and capable man, Mitsuru kun, but accepting an ounce of kindness wouldn't hurt you, you know." surprised over her sudden burst of assertiveness, Mitsuru slowly takes the cup from her hands and takes a small sip, realizing no matter how much he'd push her away, Kokoro wouldn't budge. 

Once the hot liquid hits his tongue, he is instantly assaulted with an unwelcome sweetness, making him slightly choke. "Are you okay?!" there's alarm in her voice. "You...put too much sugar in it…" 

"I-is it bad?" she blushes. 

"It tastes horrible" he bluntly scolds her but instead of feeling bad, she giggles. "I'm sorry Mitsuru kun, I'd make it up to you one day." she says. "If you want, I could make another one for you, just let me get that cup and…" 

"No, it's fine. I'll finish it...Just, no sugar next time..." and finished it he did, no matter how badly he wanted to gag the sickly sweet abomination unworthy to be called coffee. 

And why he did such a thing...he had no idea why.


	21. Omake 2: The Little Things

Zero Two was never really the friendly type of person. 

I mean, with her bright pink hair and horns, making friends would be fairly easy right? Well unfortunately, no, but that didn't really bother her anyway. No, she was completely used to this kind of life, this solitude. 

But somehow, after finding her darling, things begun slowly changing. 

It was a gradual change. With her darling, it felt completely normal for her to be more open and carefree, given their magnetic attraction from the start, but with his friends, never would've she expected they'd also warm up to her, and in a way, she too felt the same.

However, she wouldn't ignore the fact that their initial meeting wasn't _all_ too pleasant. Although Zero Two would have to admit some of them, namely Ikuno, Kokoro and Futoshi seemed pretty decent, as well as how amusing the shorter boy, Zorome was when he tried approaching her with his pseudo machoness (she just HAD to give in to the urge to mess with him, she didn't expect him to actually freak out over some honey on his clothes); the others seemed unwelcoming towards her; given how they'd scoff and roll their eyes over meeting someone unusual as her. 

Since that wasn't something new to her, she didn't give a damn about them; as long as she has her darling, nothing really mattered. 

But during the time her darling got detention, she was forced to walk home alone. Everything was normal and all, with her buying at a convenience store, when she suddenly sees a familiar redhead being assaulted by a group of men. She recognized her as the girl, Miku, who was clearly annoyed at her but, she also knew she was one of darling's friends so even if it was troublesome, she rushed in to save her from the perverts. 

After that, Miku started warming up to her, every morning, when she takes a seat, the redhead would try and talk about random topics. Zero Two learns she was a video blogger and one time, Miku invites her to show up in one of her videos. She said they could do a food blog together, however, she politely declines, since she wouldn't want a lot of people viewing her horns. 

She appreciates Miku's offer though. 

The next person she doesn't expect to develop a camaraderie with was Ichigo. From the very first moment she saw the petite bluenette's dignified pose, Zero Two instantly knows just how stuck up and bossy this girl would be. She wasn't wrong though, constantly ordering her to stop her affectionate actions with darling, it came to a point where she actually implies for her to stay away from darling, something which made Zero Two snap, resulting with Ichigo slapping her on the face; hard. 

To be honest, she acknowledges how mean and selfish her words were so she totally deserved that slap. 

However, after knowing her darling's pains, Zero Two doesn't know why, but the very first person she thought about was Ichigo. She understands that out of all of darling's friends, Ichigo was probably the one who cares the most about him, hell, she might even have feelings for him which she herself doesn't know about (Not that it bothered Zero Two). She knew just how responsible and determined the shorter girl was, further proven the moment she opens up to her about her darling and from that moment, they somehow form a silent treaty strengthen by their desires to help darling. 

She starts respecting Ichigo after that. 

As the days went on, she realizes how it was surprisingly easy, trying to get along with the others. She learns one day that Zorome, who was kind of chill after their slight misunderstanding, was a fan of her favorite TV show, Gurren Lagann, and they end up gushing over how amazingly cool Kamina was (followed by ugly sobbing when reminded of his death.) He also played a prank on her one day, giving her a can of dr. pepper with the contents suddenly spraying all over her face. The whole gang, plus their other classmates, felt mortified just thinking what Zero Two might do to him, but to their surprise, she just smirked in amusement.

She got back at him a day later by pouring honey all over his head with Miku videoing the whole scene then uploading it on Youtube. 

As for Goro, once she and Ichigo started getting past their differences, he seemed to be pretty chill with her. He'd ask how her day was when she would exit her house and meet him outside before she goes to darling, and sometimes, when they find themselves beside one another, he'd engage her in small talk to which she would respond curtly. 

Meanwhile, Futoshi, to Zero Two, was an angel sent from above. When he told her the moment they met he would bake for her sometimes, man did he keep his promise. At random times, he'd approach her with some freshly baked bread and offer some to her, which she'd gladly take. She always loved how he would make his bread and pastries sweet and one time, she even considered joining the cooking club just to taste his creations. 

If only her gramps, the headmaster didn't issue a notice to ban her from the cooking club…. 

But that aside, whenever she'd voice out her compliments to the chubby guy, he'd smile and blush like an idiot, asking her if Kokoro would love it as well, and she'd answer with enthusiasm, 'of course'. 

Speaking of Kokoro, that girl was the epitome of sunshine and rainbows. Zero Two also notes how hardworking the girl was, seeing how she takes her job seriously as the assistant secretary. She'd always see the girl carrying folders here and there, that's why sometimes, she'd approach her and take the folders out of her grasp without a word. 

Zero Two wasn't really good with words… 

But good thing Kokoro noticed, and as an expression of gratitude, one day she brings some green tea mochi for Zero Two who happily devours them all. Kokoro would then offer teaching Zero Two how to make mochi but she declines as well, but not before explaining to the girl how she wasn't really dependable in the kitchen. (She wouldn't want to relive the moment she burned her gramp's kitchen counters again..)

Also, Zero Two couldn't help but notice Kokoro's ocean deep eyes would turn to gaze at a certain boy with slicked hair. _'Does she like him…?'_ she couldn't help but wonder over the relationship between Kokoro and Mitsuru; well, if there was any. 

Mitsuru….well she never really did have a chance, up till now, interacting with him, given how cold he usually is and how he would be so hostile over her darling. She decides not to really get involved with him but personally, she thinks they don't really have bad blood with each other. 

Good thing though his cousin was the opposite. Ikuno, in Zero Two's opinion, was probably the one out of the group who understands her the most, since both were a bit introverted as compared to the others. She genuinely appreciates how Ikuno actually took the time to read about her condition, and because of that, she knows the bespectacled girl isn't afraid of her; in fact, Ikuno was the only person, besides darling, who gets to touch her horns. She also learns sometime later how the girl practice Judo and was already a black belter so sometimes, when she doesn't want to go home at once, she asks Ikuno to spar with her, with her darling watching them. 

To be honest, Zero Two never imagined herself being part of a group, but somehow, as she slowly gets to know them one by one, she finds herself genuinely enjoying their company. She genuinely felt happy. 

A feeling she never did associate with other people in the past. 

And if it weren't for her darling; if she hadn't found him by the sakura tree, then she would've never met this one of a kind group and experienced this kind of happiness caused by the little things she's experienced with each one of them. 

And for that, she's thankful.


	22. Chapter 20: Karaoke Night

A week has past since the group's first study session and exams have finally passed. Right now, all the students were receiving their Physics scores from Nana sensei, who was not just their homeroom teacher, but their Physics teacher as well. First to receive their test papers was Futoshi. "Futoshi kun, great job!" Nana compliments, giving him his paper. "Woah! 85/100? Not bad!" he smiles to himself then turns to Kokoro. "Ne Kokoro chan, how did you do?"

Scratching her head, she tells the bigger guy her score in a soft tone, "I got an 82." shifting her gaze towards Hiro, she smiles happily, "If it weren't for Hiro kun, I would've had a lower score!" 

"Ehhh?! That's not true Kokoro chan! You're very smart and hard working! I-if you want, I could help you with Physics next time…!" Kokoro giggles, "Sure!"

* * *

Nana soon passes by Hiro and gives him his paper with a smile, "Hiro, I see you're starting to improve again. Keep it up!" she encourages as he looks down to see he got a score of 96/100. He only shrugs before putting the paper in his bag. Back then, he stopped bothering with getting perfect scores and such; resulting with his grades dropping, though he tried maintaining it to at least the average just so his parents wouldn't nag at him. 

Looks like he took his studies a bit more seriously this time; was it because of a certain pinkette's presence? Hiro could only blush. 

Turning to Zero Two, who sat beside him, Hiro whispers, "Hey Zero Two, did you get your paper yet?" she shakes her head, staring at him with wide, teal, eyes. "Not yet?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Miku could see just how anxious Zorome was. To play with his nerves, she twirls her index finger around his ahoge, which makes him jump, and whispers in his ear, "Have you heard? Hiro got a 96!" he turns towards her, a big smirk on his face. "A 96? Heh! I bet you _I_ got a 97!"

"A 97? Feh! You wish!" Miku scoffs, shooting him a smirk of her own. "I bet you couldn't even score higher than me!" 

"Wanna bet, bitch?" 

"You're on dumbass!" she retorts, their ahoges once again engaging in a battle of dominance before they hear Nana sensei clear her throat in front of them. Instantly, they tear away from each, with Zorome love struck while Miku tries to swallow a giggle. "Yeesh you two, don't you get tired fighting 24/7?" Nana says, exasperated over their frequent bickerings that doesn't stop even when Miku's at home.

"Sorry Nana sensei!" They both say in unison. 

"Anyways," she turns to her younger sister, "Good job Miku. I know you could do even better next time!" she says encouragingly showing her a score of 80/100. "Thanks nee-sa..I mean Nana sensei!" the smaller redhead says bashfully after being complimented by her sister. "H-how about me, Nana sensei? How did I do?" Zorome says with a hopeful glint in his lilac eyes 

"Zorome…" 

"H-hai?" sighing, Nana places his paper on his desk with her hand covering the score. Slowly, she reveals it to him, "I believe you could do better next time, so please study more.." Miku sees him looking shocked so she leans over him and takes a peek at his exam paper; she ends up laughing so hard, her stomach cramped. 

"Seriously? A 69?" she said in between giggles. "Shut up! If it wasn't because of your constant nagging, I would've had a higher score!" Zorome says while shoving the paper angrily in his bag. " Hey, on the brightside, I could ask Nana nee san to tutor you!" Miku teases, wiggling her brows.

"Ah, why don't you just shut it Miku." he grumbles, although deep inside, he considers her offer. 

Just then, Nana suddenly announces something, "Okay now everyone, someone in our class just got a perfect score in their exam!" she exclaims happily, "Everyone, please give your hands to… 

Zero Two!" 

"EHHH?!"

* * *

"Wow Zero Two, I thought you didn't like studying!" Hiro says, amazed over how she got a perfect score like it was no big deal, in fact, in all the other subjects, she too got nothing less than 100. Both of them were at the rooftop just relaxing in each other's presence with Zero Two's head on Hiro's shoulders. "I mean, I haven't seen you open your book since last Wednesday!"

Zero Two shrugs, "I read, like, 10 minutes before the exams." she says like it was something natural for her. "Really? Then that must mean you have some photographic memory…" he smiles while Zero Two flushes at the compliment. "I don't think that's the case dar- 

"OI! ZERO TWO!" both of them jump in surprise over the boisterous shouting caused by no other than, Zorome, with Miku trailing behind. Stopping in front of Zero Two, the shorter boy raises a finger and dramatically points towards her, "JUST BECAUSE YOU GOT A PERFECT SCORE ON ALL YOUR EXAMS DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME GODDAMNIT!" Said girl shoots him a disinterested look, "If you're gonna challenge me, then I advice you to stop where you are and go back down." mildly irritated over the obstruction over her sweet time with darling, she adds dryly, "-or else I'll have Miku expose your lies about playing Pokemon when all you have on your phone is some random Harvest Moon game."

Zorome gasps, and turns to Miku who was also smirking evilly, "You know I have more subscribers than you right?" scowling, he turns back to Zero Two, "Fine, you win for now..BUT MARK MY WORDS, I, THE MIGHTY ZOROME, WILL NEVER BACK DOWN FROM A FIGHT!" He then proceeds to march away from the three teens, who found the whole blackmailing scene, amusing, when suddenly, Miku remembers something she was about to tell the pinkette. 

"Oh! Zero Two! I forgot to tell you that the girls and I were planning to go for some karaoke later, since you know, exams are over." Zero Two looks over Hiro, _'Should I?'_ her eyes screamed, and of course, he allows her to; anyway, who was he to stop her from having fun? 

"Yeah, go ahead." suddenly, he feels her hug him tightly, and unlike before, he returns the hug without any thought "Thank you darling!" they both stay snuggling in each other's arms, not bothering to notice how creeped out Miku was getting. "Um, guys? I'm still here you know?" 

Pulling apart, they both apologize to the redhead, who in all honesty, finds the scene before her super cute.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Zero Two asks Miku, who was busy dragging her along the way. "We're almost there!" Miku exclaims, quite breathless from sprinting. The sun had already set, leaving the whole world basking in midnight blue colored with the bright lights coming from the various stores they keep on passing by. There were also a lot of people now roaming the busy streets, both young and old, laughing and chatting along the way. For others, this scene would just belong to any other day, but for Zero Two, 

Everything felt so alive. 

Without noticing, Miku and her already came to stop in front of a huge building that had a sign that said 'KTV Argentea' surrounded by neon lights. Turning to her, Miku grins in excitement, "Come on Zero Two! Tonight's gonna be fun!" once again, she feels her wrist being pulled, this time, inside the building. Once they got inside, went up a couple of stairs and took a left turn at some corridor, they finally halted in front of a door that was labelled ' _room 390'_

"Is this it?" Zero Two asks to which Miku answers with an enthusiastic nod. "Yeah, now let's go! The others are waiting inside." 

As Miku slowly opens the door, Zero Two is left speechless.

* * *

The room was painted in a rich wine color, illuminated by some wall lights. There were leather furnishings and a single coffee table that had some nachos and coke on top. The other girls were already there, Kokoro was already singing some love song, while Ichigo was busy looking at the songbook with Ikuno joining her search as well. 

"Guys! We're finally here!" Miku calls out, grabbing all of their attentions. 

"Miku! Zero Two! Come and take a seat." Ichigo motions to some space in the leather sofa. Taking a seat between Kokoro and Miku, Zero Two finds herself lost on what to do, considering this was her first time doing some karaoke with a _group_. 

What makes it worse is that there was no darling to be found. 

So, for now, Zero Two decides to silently listen to Kokoro's song while observing the cute looking creatures dancing in the television. Once the song is finished, she muses to herself how beautiful the blonde's voice was. It was light and airy, kind of like you were being lulled into sleep.

Next to grab the mic was Ichigo, who chose a rather slow song with an acoustic guitar as accompaniment. Zero Two finds the petite girl's voice airy like Kokoro's, but had a more cool tone to it, perfect for some slow rock, which she was currently singing now. Zero Two also notices how Ikuno seemed to be so into the other girl's song, both smiling and sporting a light blush as she cheers for her friend. 

"Gee, Ikuno, you seem so worked up." Miku teases, successfully making the other girl blush harder in slight embarrassment. 

"That's…" 

Next up was Miku, who not surprisingly sings some lively bubblegum pop. Her voice was cute and lively, and she also danced some choreography that matches with the song's beat. Everyone, including Zero Two, began cheering enthusiastically for the red head; Kokoro held a camera, per Miku's request, to capture the moments for her channel. Finally, she ends the song by flashing a peace sign and wearing a cute expression; her eyes all sparkly and her tongue slightly peeking from her lips. Everyone claps at her energetic performance. 

"Did you manage to capture everything?" Miku asks, slightly out of breath. 

Kokoro flashes her a thumbs up sign, passing to the girl her camera, "Till the very last second!" 

Soon after, Ikuno starts singing as well, but to Zero Two's utter shock, she begins belting out to some heavy rock song. Her voice came out powerful and clear, which perfectly fits with every note she hits. "Surprised, huh?" Ichigo calls out to Zero Two, noticing how the girl's teal eyes almost grew the size of saucers the moment Ikuno opened her mouth to sing. "Don't worry! The first time we heard Ikuno sang, we had the same reaction as well!" 

"By the way, aren't you gonna sing, Zero Two chan?" Kokoro asks, holding the songbook out to Zero Two. "Yeah, I bet you'd sound awesome!" Miku beams. 

"I…" she was enjoying, yes, but she wasn't entirely comfortable with singing in front of others, she'd rather listen to all of them sing their hearts out, while she cheers on . In fact, she wasn't really the music junkie, only having a few songs saved in her phone on replay, but, seeing how the other girls stared at her with hopeful eyes, she was slowly being convinced that one song wouldn't really hurt her now, would it? 

"Fine, but just one song okay?" grabbing the songbook from Kokoro's hands, she flips the pages with her mindset being, the first song she would recognize would be the one she sings just to get things over with. Finally, as her eyes scan through the list of songs, one catches her eye. She turns towards Miku and points at it. "I like this one."

" _Hitori?"_ Miku asks, getting a nod from the pinkette. "Okay then, let me enter it for you!" grabbing the mic, she presses the buttons found on its' body and presses play before handing it to Zero Two. "Don't choke, okay?" she lightly teases. 

Once the instrumental starts playing, Zero Two feels her stomach being queasy from the slight nervousness that was starting to build up. She looks back at the others who were just as anxious to hear her sing. They all give her a thumbs up, cheering her as encouragement, and this gives her some confidence. Taking a deep breath, she starts singing once the lyrics appear on the screen. 

_A pair of birds flying side by side,_

 _An elongated shadow of a parent holding the hand of his child_

 _And the wonderful things that the sunset has illuminated ..._

 _This normality was so dazzling_

 _On a blue bench I felt a bit cold,_

 _I felt excluded._

 _"Normal is good, I want to be like that._

 _How can I do it?"_

 _I thought all alone._

 _I don't think you have told anyone you feel lonely,_

 _Because, you see, you do not have people by your side to say it to,_

 _But I think it's wonderful that I met you._

 _Even if we are separated, as long as we trust each other,_

 _We will manage to continue._

 _Normality is beautiful and I want to be like that too._

 _To become one, I will also try today and I do not care if I hurt myself._

 _I do not think you have told anyone you feel lonely,_

 _Because, you see, you do not have people by your side to say it to._

 _If I could see you again, I would stay by your side forever._

She feels a whole lot lighter when she finishes the last note, also feeling a little tingly as well. When she goes back to her seat, the girls all gush over her, making Zero Two feel slightly conscious over the attention she was getting, not to mention how close they were to her. 

"Zero Two, you sound so great!" Miku cries, tackling the girl in a tight squeeze. "Miku's right. You sounded like a professional." Kokoro smiles brightly, amazed by the girl's talent.

"Have you had vocal training?" Ikuno asks, to which Zero Two replies with a 'no.' Impressed, Ikuno compliments her, "you're quite a talent, huh."

"Not really..you guys are all great as well.." the pinkette says. 

"Well, if you put it that way...why don't we form a group? It would be a fun experience!" Miku suggests, turning to Ichigo who had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Wouldn't it, Ichigo?" 

"Well...since the school festival is fast approaching, that would actually be a great idea…" Ichigo tells the group with a smile. "Is it okay with you, Zero Two? You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to..?" Zero Two shrugs, finding singing to be actually fun. 

' _I mean, performing wouldn't be THAT bad if we perform as a group..'_

"I'm cool with it." 

"Yay! Now that's settled, why don't we sing one last song together? Y'know, as a warm up." Miku grins smugly, twirling the mic with her hands and soon, they begin singing their hearts out to _'Torikago.'_ before going home laughing and smiling hand in hand. 

Once she arrives home, Zero Two couldn't help but think to herself that this day, even if she wasn't with her darling, would be one of the most memorable moments in her life she'd surely cherish inside her heart. 

And one day, she would make sure to share this memory with her darling.

* * *

 _Author's note: Hello everyone! Once again, I'd like all of you to know how deeply grateful I am for reading and supporting this story! you guys give me the motivation to continue with this fic and I hope ya'll would still continue to support me till the very end._

 _However, school's starting in two days, so of course, I have to focus on my personal priorities for now, so I think I couldn't update as frequently as before. nevertheless, I promise ya'll I'll do my very best to update at at least 2-3 chapters or more, once a week._

 _Anyways, hope you continue enjoying 'Hello Darling!"_


	23. Chapter 21: Assemble!

"A school festival?"

Walking together in a synchronized pace, Zero Two looks at Hiro with eyes full of curiosity after the latter suddenly mentions something about a festival FRANXX high holds every year. "Oh, haven't your school had one of those?" she shakes her head sadly. "I don't believe we have one of those." she mutters under her breath before turning to her darling once more to ask questions, in hopes of knowing what kind of festival did their school conduct. "What is it like darling, is it fun?"

Hiro stops and thinks for a bit, his gaze focusing on the sky, before answering the horned girl, "Well...there are a lot of things going on during that time.." he says thoughtfully, "It's kinda like the school transforms into this, carnival, or something like that…"

"Ohh, that really DOES sounds like fun!" Zero Two flashes a toothy grin, unable to contain her excitement for the said event. Seeing her being overly enthusiastic, Hiro smiles, despite being sixteen year olds, the pinkette showed the innocence and happiness of a little girl who'd just been promised she'd be going to Disneyland.

Speaking of Disneyland, Hiro wonders what Zero Two's reaction would be when she goes there; it'd probably be ten times more giddy than her reaction with the school festival.

Hiro could feel his insides warming up by the thought.

* * *

Entering their classroom, Hiro and Zero Two are met with the whole class being unusually quiet with Ichigo preceding at the front; it almost felt like they were conducting some very important meeting between a mafia boss and his cronies. Hiro sweat drops at the image, but quickly realizes why the whole class were acting that way.

' _Ah, that's right..it's the school festival…'_

But Zero Two had absolutely ZERO ideas on what the hell was going on. Naturally, she asks her darling, leaning down slightly to whisper in his ear,

"Darling, what's wrong with everyone?" seeing everyone seem so serious sent little shivers down her spine. Even Zorome was awfully silent, she felt like she was somewhat transported to another dimension.

"Ah well, you see...remember what I said earlier about a school festival?" the pinkette nods, "Well, us students are the ones who prepare everything, so we kind of have to have some brainstorming on what activities we could do for the festival." even after darling's, explanation, Zero Two still couldn't fathom why everyone was acting so weird.

"Still, what's everyone so worked up about?"

Suddenly, they all jump in shock when they hear a loud 'BANG' on the table, although the whole class didn't have to turn their heads to realize just who the culprit was.

"I told you Ichigo, we should just set up a booth where people could take a photo with me, Zorome sama!" Zorome points to himself, his pseudo suaveness acting up again. Their other classmates, especially Miku, could only look at him in disbelief and annoyance. "What did I tell you before you big doofus...YOU'RE STUPID IDEA WON'T WORK!" the redhead yells, clearly done with the boy's conceitedness.

"AND WHY WOULDN'T IT, HMM?" Zorome asks, his arms crossed into his chest and his eyebrows raised tauntingly at Miku. "Haven't you realized how AWESOME and POPULAR I am, woman?" Miku scoffs, raising a brow of her own,

"Oh reaaaallyy?" sarcasm laces her voice, clearly signaling she was about to make a haughty comeback, "Well then, haven't YOU realized just how high your head is right now in the clouds?"

"HEY! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It clearly means you're-

"Enough, you two." Ichigo finally calls them out, rubbing her temples out of the stress these two gives her with their unending squabbles. When they finally calm down, albeit begrudgingly, she finally voices her opinions on Zorome's plan. "A photobooth wouldn't be a bad idea, but, I think we could think of other things that are more, attractive to the visitors!"

"Well then, how about a play?" a random student suggests, his idea receiving some mix reactions from the others.

"But haven't we done that last year?" another random student voices out, with a lot agreeing with him.

"That's true, I've also heard the other class will be conducting one for this festival…" the whole class erupts into nothing but whispers, only to be silenced by the petite girl standing before them. Clearing her throat, she asks all of them one more time whether they had any ideas. Most of the others proposed some overused ideas like setting up a haunted house, which was highly approved by Miku only to be rejected by Futoshi, Zorome and even Ichigo herself, leaving the redhead pouting over the missed opportunity.

Speaking of Futoshi, the bread loving guy suggests setting up a cafe, to which, almost everyone considered. The only question now was, what theme could make the class's cafe even more interesting to the visitors.

 _Cosplay cafe?_ No, it was too overrated.

 _Mecha themed cafe?_ Preparations for the props and costumes would be too tedious (Zero Two was left sulking at a corner)

 _Sexy Bunny cafe?_ Well, almost all the boys voted strongly for this one, evident with the blood streaming from their noses, but the girls HAD to refuse, president included.

 _A Host Club?_ Wait, wasn't that concept used in another anime, before?

 _Gender bender cafe?_ Just like the girls, ALL the boys refused. (There goes Zero Two's chance to see darling in a cute outfit)

 _Neko Maid cafe?_ Well, for Miku's sake, they all had to skip that idea. (Thanks to her vlog about _that_ horrifying experience)

"How about a gambling booth?" Ikuno suddenly suggests, to which Kokoro, to everybody's surprise, supports, "Oh yes! That would be quite fun, indeed!" the gentle girl beams excitedly.

"U-um, I don't think the teachers would support us once they find out though…" Ichigo sweat drops over her friend's bizarre (and illegal) suggestion. Sighing to herself, looks like planning for the school festival wouldn't be as easy as she thought it would be.

Unless….

' _I got it!'_

Suddenly, an idea pops into her mind as she reminisces the time she and the girls did some karaoke.

" _Well, if you put it that way...why don't we form a group? It would be a fun experience!" Miku suggests, turning to Ichigo who had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Wouldn't it, Ichigo?"_

"A concert…." The whole class turns to Ichigo since they didn't hear her clearly the first time. "Why don't we have a concert, since y'know..nobody has ever done it yet?" Ichigo feels slightly nervous when the whole class suddenly goes quiet. _'They must be considering it…'_

And true to her thoughts, one hand goes up, and she motions for them to speak. "If we're gonna have a concert, then who's gonna perform?" _'well…'_ in her mind, Ichigo clearly had an idea who would be fit to perform on stage, herself included, so her eyes unconsciously gaze at the other girls whom she sang with nights prior. First of all, Miku was a natural performer; she had a lively tune to her voice and she was the best when it came to choreography, and not only that, she had a charisma that gives off a cutesy vibe, something most people love when they want to see a performance.

Second, Kokoro had the most range in her voice. She was has great control with her breathing which makes her modulation good. Not only that, she was already considered very popular, especially with the male population, for her gentle personality and womanly charms, which Ichigo firmly believes could be a great advantage in reeling in viewers. To keep things simple, Kokoro was the main visual of the group.

Third,although her voice wasn't as cute as Miku's, or as sweet as Kokoro's, Ikuno was the most stable in terms of belting out notes, some may consider as highly difficult, plus, she had that mature and mysterious kind of vibe, which too, was something most viewers find interesting to see. Also, Ichigo knew that Ikuno was quite skilled with the guitar, given her and her cousin were tutored in music at an early age. One time she saw Ikuno playing all by herself in the school's music room, Ichigo instantly realizes that whether it was an acoustic or electric guitar, Ikuno would absolutely nail it.

Meanwhile, although Ichigo didn't consider herself having special traits when it comes to singing or performing, she knew that once a group is formed, one must have to stand up and be a leader, or else they'll just end up in a scattered mess; and who else was ready to stand up for them? Herself, of course.

Lastly, she just couldn't imagine Zero Two not being in their group, if ever they'll perform. Last time at the Karaoke bar, they all knew the pinkette never did have any experience in singing, in fact, it was at that moment where she first got a hold of a mic and despite her initial timidness and reluctance, the moment Zero Two opened her mouth, they were all left blown away. Her voice wasn't the best, but the way she sang with so much emotion, it just had Ichigo speechless beyond her expectations.

So, with the performers decided, she began calling them one by one, and luckily, they all complied; all except Zero Two who remained silent. This greatly worried Ichigo, but somehow, she vaguely remembers the pinkette agreeing to them before, although, there was also a high probability that she must've didn't take the idea of forming a group too seriously.

Ichigo hopes this isn't the case.

Before she could open her mouth to ask Zero Two one more time if it was okay with her, the pinkette slowly raises her hand to ask a question.

"Would that mean I get to sing in front of darling?" dumbfounded, Ichigo nods, getting even more surprised when said girl actually jumps for joy and goes to Hiro, enclosing both his hands with hers,

"Did you hear that, darling? I get to perform in front of you!" She giggles like a small child and this makes Ichigo feel a warm, tender feeling in her chest. It was good seeing Zero Two constantly prove to everyone day by day that she was FAR from the horned delinquent everyone thought she was. Instead, they were seeing slowly seeing the sides to her, only Hiro could let out, and indeed, she really was just a normal girl who was a bit naive and excitable at most.

And now, with everyone ultimately agreeing to the plan, all that's left is for them to prepare for their grandest event yet.

And hopefully, the most memorable too.

* * *

Author's Note: Here's the start of a new story arc, which is...THE OVERUSED SCHOOL FESTIVAL ARC! ahh, but I'm a sucker for this trope~

Anyways, hope you could find some of the anime references I just did (There are 2, I believe). Post your guesses on the Review section once you find them!

As always, hope you continue enjoying the story! XOXO


	24. Chapter 22: Tuesday, Love Problems

They were close, given that they've known each other for nine years, but Goro and Futoshi didn't have much similarities they could share. For Goro, others claim he was the sought out type of man, with his good looks, dependable personality and mature aura; meanwhile Futoshi was considered cute, with plump appearance and naturally sweet charms, however, the differences that really sets the two boys apart was their approach with love. 

Goro, even if most of the girls in school were all trying to gain his attention, he remains ever so loyal to his only love; his best friend, Ichigo. How long has it been since he started pining for her affections? For her to look at him the way he does to her and for her to feel the way he feels whenever she laughs, smiles or cries? Still, even if it has already been years, even if the bluenette has never showed an ounce of romantic feelings, he waits patiently and silently, because for him, he wouldn't mind waiting for a lifetime to pass until Ichigo was ready to love him the way he wants. 

Even if it hurts, he believes Ichigo would be worth the wait. 

However, things were a little different for Futoshi. Almost everyone knew how the boy was deeply infatuated with the ashen blonde girl, with the face and personality of an angel. It was no secret to everyone how Futoshi loved Kokoro, the tragic part though, was that, it was only Kokoro who seems to have no idea when it comes to her classmate and childhood friend's feelings. 

It was tragic indeed. 

Still, this never stopped Futoshi from showing her how special she was compared to the other girls. She was special not just because of her looks, but because of how kind and gentle she was whenever she was around anyone, and Futoshi loves her for that. _'She just seems so perfect!'_ He would shower her with the most genuine of compliments, he'd offer her his protection and he would be willing to give her anything that'll make her happy, even if he'd get hurt in the end. 

All that was important to him was her smile. 

Yes, these two weren't exactly similar when it comes to dealing with their most special persons, but it won't be too long before they realize they weren't actually that different than everybody thinks they are.

* * *

Preparations immediately began when Ichigo had laid out her idea of having a concert for the school's festival, to which everybody unanimously agreed to. The whole class got divided into different committees, while the performers, specifically Ichigo, Miku, Kokoro, Ikuno and, surprisingly, Zero Two, had to give their hundred percent focus in practicing for the event (Something Zero Two is sullen about since she couldn't spend time with her darling as much as she wants). Since the two were the most dependable when it came to following orders , Goro and Futoshi were assigned to the logistics team.

That's why, in the first day of their preparations for the exciting event, Ichigo asks them if they could buy a HUGE number of glow sticks in an array of colors, and of course, since she was the president AND committee head, the two boys willingly obliged. 

"So, what did Ichigo tell us to by again?" Futoshi asks while taking a bite of the bread they just bought at some bakery. He and Goro were looking for a party supplies store. "She told us to by five sets of different color glow sticks." the blonde answers while checking on his phone for any party store nearby, "And how many per set?"

"A hundred." came his fast reply. 

"W-what?! Isn't that too much?" Futoshi starts counting with his fingers in sheer panic over how much five hundred glow sticks would cost. "Do we even have the cash to buy so many?" with a smug glint in his eyes, Goro suddenly whips out a small rectangular car, and waves it nonchalantly. "Aside from the council's funds from last year, I told Ichigo I'll be shouldering half of what's to spend…" he explains, not bothering to hide the mirth in his voice. "And besides, we're just gonna buy the disposable ones, so more or less, a bundle of a hundred sticks would probably cost ten bucks or less.."

"Wow! You're as cool as ever, Goro!" Futoshi praises him before giving him a sheepish smile, "Although, it's quite embarrassing I couldn't shoulder at least part of your burden…"

"Nah, it's fine" the taller boy brushes off, "It's the least I could do as vice president.." they both grin at each other and continue finding any nearby party supplies store. 

"Oh look! I found one!" Futoshi points out across the street.

* * *

Entering the store, Goro and Futoshi are instantly welcomed by the store owner, who was a short, old man who was wearing a pierrot's hat. He had a goofy smile on his wrinkly face. "Watcha kids lookin' for, eh?" the old man asks with a funny accent the two boys couldn't quite describe. "Um, we were looking for glow sticks?" Futoshi says, his eyes roaming around to see the store was decorated with colorful streamers, balloons and some paper crafts. "It's for our school's event." Goro adds. 

"Glow schticks? Well yer' found the right place, sonnies!" the man grins and suddenly prances around the room, making the two boys sweat over the man's flowing eccentricity. The shop owner disappears for a short moment before bringing them a lot of boxes with a lot of different colored glow sticks to choose from.

"Take yer' pick boys! Lots of colors to choose from me glow schticks!" crouching, the two boys give a nod to each other before thanking the old shop owner. 

"So what colors are we gonna get? There's orange, yellow...ooh! Even a rainbow glow stick!" Futoshi beams while holding the said glow stick and waving it happily in the air. "So what now, Goro?" 

Thinking to himself for a moment, Goro comes up with an idea, "Why don't we pick the colors based on the girl's personalities? At least that would kinda aid in distinguishing each of them in the group." with what he suggests, Futoshi grins while giving him a thumbs up, "Good thinking there Goro! Now, the only question now is what color fits each of them?" 

"Shall we start with Zero Two?" the two boys pause for a bit, taking in deep consideration what could possibly match with the girl's strong and intimidating aura, until Futoshi comes up with an idea. 

"Hey, don't you think red suits her?" he picks up a red glow stick and examines it carefully, "I mean, first of all, her horns are red, but personality wise, I think Zero Two is fiery with her rebellious personality, and sometimes, she comes off as strong and wild because of that." he pauses for a moment, taking in all the intimate moments he saw the pinkette share with Hiro. "..but then again, she's also very passionate, especially when it comes to Hiro." Futoshi trails off, secretly wishing he could experience what the two love birds have, with Kokoro. 

"Hmm..then red it is." Goro says while putting aside the red colored glow sticks. "How about Ikuno? I mean, you must know more about her since she always hangs out with Ichigo, right?" Futoshi asks, holding out three colors of orange, yellow, and purple. "Well, Ikuno does hang around with Ichigo, but we I don't really know much about her." 

' _She's kinda closed off like her cousin, although in a milder fashion…'_ Goro thinks about the bespectacled girl who always seems to keep to herself with a book in her hand. The only times he has ever seen her smile and act so care free is whenever she spends time with Ichigo. _'Come to think about it…'_ he's eyes scan the sticks Futoshi was holding out and lands on the color purple. Instinctively, he reaches out for it. 

"Y'know, Ikuno does seem quite mysterious, so I think this color suits her best.." Goro explains, to which, Futoshi agrees almost instantly. "Yeah, you're right, she always seems to be holding back, but I don't know why…" 

"Anyways, it's Miku's turn…" without a second thought, they both turn to the other and say instantaneously, an unanimous agreement between the both of them. 

"Pink." 

"She IS a girly girl after all." Goro says, looking back at the numerous videos the redhead has posted about makeup and fashion. "Also, we can't deny the fact Miku IS kinda cute." Futoshi adds, a bit flustered over his comment on his friend. 

"Well then, that leaves us with Kokoro and Ichigo…." the two remain quiet for a while, an unexplainable amount of adoration filling their chests over the sound of their respected beloved's name. 

Futoshi was the first to speak up, a reddish tint staining his plump cheeks. He had a goofy, yet fond smile etched on his lips. 

"I've always found green to be Kokoro chan's color. It's just, whenever she's near, she just gives off this kind of calm and peaceful feeling that makes everyone grow attracted to her, in fact, Kokoro chan's a very amazing woman!" Futoshi gushes, "She's just so kind and compassionate towards everyone, and never has she shown an ounce of anger or annoyance even if she's tired with council work...she's just so gentle and loving and, have you seen her eyes?" he swoons, imagining the said girl looking up at him with much fondness in her eyes, something he'd wish to see someday. "It's like a sea that just sucks you in, until you find yourself floating gently on it's calm waters…" 

"Gee, dude, never thought you had it that bad" The taller guy snickers while patting Futoshi playfully at the back. Jokingly, he teases back "Please, you've been pining for Ichigo for a LONG, long time! It's a miracle you haven't made a move yet!"

Frozen, Goro could feel his face slowly warming up. To avoid his own embarrassment, he turns away from the other boy and scratches his cheek, "H-how did you know about it?"

Futoshi smiles understandingly, "It's been obvious for years, dude. Kinda painful to watch, honestly." 

Heaving out a sigh, the blonde man lets his glasses fall slightly to his nose, having no choice but to tell Futoshi his own feelings, since he told him his regarding Kokoro. "It's complicated, you know. All my life, we've been best friends, partners even, but not once has she shown at least the slightest indication that she sees me as a man." he says, "I've always loved her. I love her for her courage and I love the fact that she always seems to know what to do or what to say. She has her flaws, yes; she's impulsive and stubborn at fault, never thinking for herself, but that makes me love her even more and want to protect her at all costs…" 

Slightly, his heart clenches over the next things he was about to say. Frowning, he murmurs for only Futoshi to hear. 

"Still...I could only be beside her as her best friend. Nothing more, nothing less…." his fingers find its way towards the blue colored glow sticks, twirling it around as if he was playing with Ichigo's deep blue locks. 

"Goro…." was all Futoshi could utter, feeling a deep sense of sympathy over his friend's true feelings. 

Just then, the old shop owner suddenly puts a hand on each of the boy's shoulders. Grinning, he tells them, "Ahhh young love! I remember me time, when I met me wife, I felt so jittery and warm all day long just thinking 'bout her!" he cackles. "Y'know what? Since ye youngsters made me remember sumthin' good, you can have those for just 20 bucks!"

astonished over the man's kind offer, the two both express their gratefulness by leaving a five dollar tip inside the shop's jar.

* * *

"Hey, Goro…" 

"Hm?" said boy turns to face Futoshi, who had his eyes gazing at the sky that was painted with fiery hues of red, orange and yellow, which signifies the day was coming to an end.

"Why don't you just confess to Ichigo? I mean, it wouldn't kill you, you know…" Futoshi's words sends Goro looking down to his feet, "Like I've told you, it's complicated...I'm her best friend and that's fine with me." 

"But you love her, right?" 

He couldn't do anything but nod. _'So much.'_ he thinks to himself, a flash of the bluenette's smile entering his thoughts, making him slightly stain his cheeks with a pinkish blush

"Then stop wasting time, if it were me, I would've confessed to her a long time ago!" he exclaims, to which the taller boy raises a brow in question over the chubbier boy's words. "Really? Then, how about you with Kokoro?" 

It was Futoshi's turn to redden, "I do have plans to confess..I'll just have to do it when the timing's right." 

"Oh, and when will that be?" Goro questions. "Soon." was his only reply, earning him a hum of approval from the man beside him. "Well, if that's the case, then good luck!" 

"Thanks, man." Futoshi says under his breath. 

"No problem," Goro gives him a small smile, 

"Thanks too, for encouraging me. It means a lot." 

Finally, as they wave to each other goodbye and head off towards their own paths, they soon realize, that despite having a ton of differences when it came to their personalities and way of living, they were actually a whole lot similar when it came to love; they were just a bunch of lovesick teenagers who loved with all their beings, and wishes to be loved the same, as well. 

And although the path of loving has been nothing, but a long and winding experience full of doubts, insecurities, and fear, for everyone, including them, 

Hopefully, one day, when the time is right, their wishes would be answered with all the love they deserve.


	25. Chapter 23: Wednesday, What They Know

Boring. 

For Zorome, all this preparations for the school's concert event was proving itself to be a bore. Now if only they had gone with his idea of setting up a photo booth, (With him as the main subject) then maybe things would've been a LOT more interesting, well, maybe for him, but here he was, being ordered here and there, to either help with prepping up the stage or carry around some heavy props to be used. 

And damn, not only was it boring, but it was also absolutely exhausting. 

Still, all Zorome could do is pout and grumble to himself, being careful not to be seen by Ichigo, or else, his ass would be put on the stake. He shivers; the last time he got punished by their group's acting leader AND student council president for vandalizing the school's outer walls, he swears he almost felt like he got transported to Hell.

' _Damn that shortie is something!'_

Despite that, the dirty blonde boy still couldn't help but feel slightly crossed that once more, he still couldn't get at least a tiny amount of spotlight, instead, it was the girls who would be taking center stage. Hell, even Zero Two, who was a newbie in the school, had the chance to be acknowledged for her singing capabilities! Even Miku! 

' _Miku…'_

Zorome's mind wanders over his redheaded frienemy. To be honest, he shouldn't even be surprised over Miku performing on stage. _'I mean, it had to happen sooner or later'_ he thinks to himself.

Being best friends/enemies with Miku for at least, 12 years, both of them knew each other more than the others. Miku knew how much he crushed over Nana sensei, and unlike some younger sisters, she actually was pretty chill with it, sometimes offering to help him get closer to her older sister. Meanwhile, for him, Zorome knew a lot about Miku's passions and dreams. Aside from experimenting with makeup and being all pretty, from the bottom of her heart, Zorome knew how much she wanted to be a performer.

He remembers her daydreaming about being on stage in front of a hundred people chanting her name. He remembers her standing on her bed and grabbing a brush as a microphone and singing famous pop songs at the top of her lungs, and even if he'd tease her about how bad she was, secretly, he found her voice really good and it genuinely made him glad seeing how happy she was. 

Hell, they even had occasional Karaoke nights where they try to beat each other's scores, but Zorome knows it was Miku's way of practicing. He knows that underneath her spunky attitude still lies a girl who had insecurities and was still unsure of herself, that's why he knows how the girl trusts him to a higher degree, despite their daily squabbles. 

So now, seeing her be able to grant her life long wish in just a matter of days, it made a warm feeling bubble inside him, and this was enough to suffice his initial grouchiness over the concert. 

And for the past three days, Zorome could see just how hard Miku was working in order to achieve that dream. 

The girls weren't supposed to do anything but practice their performances, and out of the five, Zorome could see Miku was very passionate, if not, the most. She was the last to take breaks, and instead, she would be practicing her singing in line with her choreography. If she WAS resting, she'd be holding some lyrics and on and on, she'd be practicing it until she gets all the notes correct. When they both walk home together, instead of teasing or insulting him, she'd be dazed while murmuring some lyrics to herself.

Honestly, he'd be amazed with her extreme work ethics, but as a friend, he was growing more and more worried over the redhead's health. She was also starting to skip meals, telling him so she would be in shape at the day of the concert, but he argues it would be bad for her, since she might faint over fatigue, and yet, she shakes it off like it was nothing. 

It was nothing until today, that is.

* * *

It was afternoon and all preparations have been finished for today, Zorome was walking through the halls in order to find Miku at her usual practice room. Once he reaches it, his eyes widen over seeing the redhead slumped all over the floor breathing heavily and with his protectiveness kicking in, he runs towards her and places a hand on her back. 

"Miku! Oi, Miku!" he frantically shakes her, a small groan escaping her lips. Zorome places a hand on Miku's forehead and realizes how feverish she felt, her beads of sweat feeling cool against his palm. 

"You're burning up!" and he knows why. If she didn't look too weak and pale, Zorome would've reprimanded her for being an idiot for overworking herself, but now was not the time. With all his strength, he lifts her heavy body off the ground and carries her piggyback style. He could instantly feel the softness and warmth of her body on his back, and normally, just like any hormonal, teenage boy, Zorome would blush, but with the current situation at hand, he couldn't give a damn about some silly hormones. 

For now, all he had in mind was to take his friend home and at least persuade her to eat something. _'I'd force feed her if I have to.'_

Meanwhile, Miku could feel her body softly rocking with each step Zorome takes. It felt weird, yet oddly comforting, especially since this was not the first time her impulsive friend gave her a piggyback. Back when they were kids, Zorome would usually carry her whenever she sprained her ankle or scraped her knee, then he would scold her over being so clumsy once he puts her down. This time, she knew once they get home, she'd get an earful of scolding from him.

She winces at the thought.

But right now, feeling all the energy leave her body, all Miku could do now is stay quiet and revel in the comforting warmth Zorome's back was giving her. 

A small, contented sigh escapes her lips.

* * *

Once Zorome reaches Miku's house, he lifts a finger and presses at the door bell. He could hear Miku's gentle snores, but he knows her all too well. _'She wants me to leave, huh?'_ he inwardly snickers. 

' _Just how much of a brat can you be, woman?'_

Hearing someone open the door, he is immediately greeted by her sister (and his crush), Nana. Zorome could feel his heartbeat quicken and his face warm up seeing his teacher in an off-sleeve blouse that hugged her curves and a long, khaki skirt. 

"Zorome?" Nana says before noticing her sister situated on her student's back. Worried, she asks, "Did something happen to Miku?" 

"Um..I think she overworked herself for the concert…" shaking her head, Nana heaves out a sigh. She always knew how much of a hard worker her sister was, to the point of neglecting her own needs, and most especially, health. "Good grief this girl...would it be okay if you bring her to her room? I have to go out and meet someone for something important." wondering what that something important might be, Zorome nods his head without question anyways. 

"Yes, Nana sensei" 

With that, Nana thanks Zorome and gives Miku a pat on the cheek before heading off, but not before reminding her male student not to do anything stupid her younger sister. 

Of course, she knew he'd never do anything harmful to Miku, given they've been best friends before they could even read.

* * *

Plopping Miku on her bed, Zorome observes how even her breathing was and how her eyes would flutter, even if they were closed. Crossing his arms in mild annoyance, he scoffs at her 'crappy' acting. 

"Okay Miku, I know you're just pretending. Time to wake up." No response. "Anytime now." Silence.

Huffing, Zorome walks over to her bedside and hovers above her. He could see her face slightly change, meaning she could feel his presence. 

"Woman, if you don't open an eye, I'll seriously spit on you." and of course, he had done it before in the past without any warning, so of course, to avoid that horrid memory from happening again, Miku shoots up panicking, accidentally hitting Zorome in the nose. Groaning, he yells in pain, "What the hell?! This is the second time you hurt my nose!" 

"Well, you just had to have your ugly face right in front of me!" She retorts back, some of her strength coming back due to sheer annoyance over Zorome.

"Wooow" Zorome says, shooting a look at the girl, "what a nice way to thank the guy who carried your fatass all the way from school, your welcome by the way." 

Realizing what he said was true, Miku feels slightly embarrassed over lashing out at the guy, yet even so, she refuses to give in. With a slight flush adorning her cheeks, she looks away from the boy's piercing lilac stare. "You didn't have to do that for me. I...I could've handled myself."

"Tch, handle yourself, my ass…" Zorome grumbles, looking away as well. "If you hadn't overworked yourself, then you wouldn't have passed out in the first place." 

"You're an idiot. A big one to be specific." 

Feeling slightly offended, Miku grabs Zorome's collar and yanks him towards her, their noses touching. "What the hell did you just call me?!" 

Not backing down, Zorome challenges her by staring directly once more into her eyes; this time, with an intensity and seriousness that makes the girl's anger falter. "I said..you're a goddamn idiot for forgetting to take care of yourself, that's what! What if I hadn't found you in that classroom, who else would've helped you, huh?"

"What if some pervert was lurking around and _that_ happened again? Who would've saved you?" Miku's breath hitches, memories from the day Zero Two saved her comes rushing back again, making her hands tremble in anxiety. "I…" She's at loss on what to say.

"I'm not finished yet, woman" Zorome interrupts her by putting a hand on her mouth. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he lets out sigh before he starts talking to her, his voice taking a more gentle, yet scolding tone; as if he was talking to a child who had stolen a cookie from the cookie jar.

"Look, out of everyone else, I'm the one who knows you the most, and I know how you've been dreaming to perform in front of a lotta people since what, five? But anyways, now you're almost there and just take a look at what you're doing to your health!" Zorome pokes at her cheeks.

"You're skipping meals, you're always out of your mind and you don't even bother taking at least, a five minute rest for God sakes! This isn't healthy Miku, and if you aren't an idiot, you would understand what I'm saying."

"So if you really want to perform, start eating okay? I swear, if you dont, I would tie you to the bed and force feed you, if I had to" Miku couldn't help but make a face at his words at that moment, "pervert." 

Before he could react over her comment, Miku laughs at him and pinches his cheeks. Smiling, she says, "I never knew you actually cared for me, Zorome!"

Blushing, he looks away, "Me? Care for you? Please, I just don't want you making a fool out of yourself on the concert. Besides, if you don't stop with your shitty habits, I wouldn't be surprised if you faint before performing…." Despite his crude choice of words, Miku couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, 

For she knew better 

"Fine! Fine! I'll follow your orders just so you'd stop pestering me over and over again." her tone was light, but her eyes held a mischievous glint that challenges the boy to answer back. 

' _Even if the whole world sees us as two teens who does nothing but constantly fight with one another over the stupidest things...'_

"There you go, with that haughty attitude of yours again! I swear to God I-" his words are interrupted when he suddenly feels a small pair of lips smack at his cheek. _'D-did she just..?'_ turning to face her with his whole face blushing heavily, he questions her sudden weirdness, "What the heck was that?!" she doesn't retort back with anything, rather, she just musters one of the most brightest smiles Zorome has even seen on her lips. 

"Thank you." was all she says, 

And somehow, his lips unknowingly curve into a smile of its own. 

'... _I know for sure that during our worst days, we will ALWAYS have each other's backs..'_


	26. Chapter 24: Thursday, Lily

In her heart, she always knew that she was different. 

Yes, Ikuno was far different from the other girls. She wasn't like the typical teenager who'd think of boys and falling in love. She wasn't the type to read romance novels, nor was she the type to listen to love songs whenever she was _'in the mood'_ ; instead, she read mystery novels that featured the macabre and surreal, and jammed to Metallica while wearing the band's signature shirts with her speakers on high volume.

She wasn't like the others who preferred short skirts or flowy dresses that clung to their bodies. She wasn't the type to style her hair in an array of braids and accessories, and she certainly wasn't the type to adorn jewelry that would _'match with her eyes'._ No, Ikuno was rather a shirt and jeans type of girl, along with a pair of chuck taylor's or if she's feeling a bit fashionable, a pair of timbs. 

She wasn't Miku, who was knowledgeable with the art of makeup and all things considered 'girly.' She wasn't Kokoro, who was as gentle as a feather's touch and loved flowers with all her being. She wasn't Ichigo who, despite her leadership skills, was easy to fluster and had a love for all things involving cats. She wasn't Zero Two, who was always so ready to shower her special someone with loads of affection.

No.

For her, Ikuno was just….Ikuno. 

And this doesn't bother her one bit. 

She was her. Instead of boys, books were what kept her mind being constantly filled with various thoughts. Instead of womanly gentleness, she was equipped with the art of judo, something not all women consider of practicing. Instead of being skilled with putting on rouge or coloring her lips in red, in her hand, was an instrument that held her heart the moment she started playing it- a guitar.

Ikuno could remember the countless hours she'd spent on mastering her craft, how she'd ignore the pricking feeling the strings gave to her fingers, to the point where it almost bled; just how calloused her fingertips became over time, in contrast to a woman's soft hands, or how her usual calmness would be disrupted over her frustrations of perfecting one chord at a time. 

In the end though, everything was worth it. 

Even so, Ikuno never shared her talent to the world. Instead, whenever she'd play the stringed instrument, she'd make sure she'd be alone just so she could enjoy the world she creates with music all to herself. 

If she would stand out, her difference would stand out as well, and Ikuno didn't want that to happen. 

But this was about to change the moment she steps on stage with her friends on their upcoming concert for the school festival. 

Initially, Ikuno wanted to back out, not wanting to gain any unwanted attention from the other students of the school, but how could she when it was Ichigo who voluntarily chosen her to be part of the performance? 

How could she say no if for her, Ichigo would always be top priority? 

Ichigo would always hold a special place in Ikuno's heart. If it weren't for the petite bluenette, she would've never been the person she is today. If it weren't for her, Ikuno would probably be hating on herself, over how different she feels with who she really is. 

And she would forever be grateful towards her most cherished friend because of this. 

That's why, for Ikuno, anything that could possibly make Ichigo happy, even if it means doing the impossible, she'd gladly do, and for this instance, her happiness depends on the success of the school concert, so Ikuno decides to go against her initial qualms of joining and ultimately agrees to singing and playing the guitar in front of a hundred people. 

So here she was, alone in the school's music room, a guitar in her hand while she practiced the songs they're group was about to perform. With every strum she makes, she could feel the sound vibrate within the deepest depths of her soul, bringing her to her own world filled with music infused with her own feelings. Her feelings towards her friends, towards herself, and most especially, 

Her feelings for her friend. 

With each note she creates with her guitar, each lyric that comes out of her mouth, the only thing in her mind was Ichigo. How endearing she looked whenever she was serious and dedicated with her council duties, how when she constantly motivates her, her lips would curve into a grin as she gives her a thumbs up, or how her cheeks would color a beautiful shade of red, truly living up to her name, whenever she gets caught gushing over a cat she randomly crosses paths with. 

Just thinking about the different sides of her friend made her insides feel giddy because of pure bliss. 

However, as she continues on with her solo practice, Ikuno doesn't notice the door creak open to reveal the same girl who has invaded her thoughts, just quietly standing at the side to listen to Ikuno's voice with a look of awe and a hint of pride.

Just as Ikuno finishes, Ichigo speaks up while clearing her throat. "Yo, Ikuno." Alerted by the bluenette's presence, Ikuno turns to her with her cheeks slightly flushed. _'D-did she hear me…?'_

"Ah, Ichigo, since when have you been standing there?" 

Ichigo shrugs, "While you were singing." she says before smiling at the girl whose emerald eyes showed slight bewilderment. "You're amazing as always, Ikuno…" Ichigo walks towards Ikuno and sits beside her, their shoulders slightly touching. She fails to notice the blush creeping in Ikuno's cheeks over the slight body contact and the compliment she gave earlier.

Muttering a small 'thank you', she slightly turns to Ichigo, taking in her spring green gaze, and asks, "Say, Ichigo, do you need something?" 

Now, it was Ichigo's turn to flush. Slightly fidgeting, she looks away from Ikuno and finds her voice slightly stuttering as she explains her motives, "I, um...ever since I heard you play...I kinda wanted t-to..learn the guitar, as well…"

Blinking twice, Ikuno couldn't believe what the bluenette was implying. "You want me to teach you how to play?" she voices her thoughts out loud. Ichigo nods, her eyes hopeful. "Y-yes! I mean...if it's okay with you…" Ikuno could feel her eyes soften. _'Ah, there it was, that tiny quiver her lips make whenever she's asking for a request…'_ who was she to say no?

"I'd love to..but when did you hear me play guitar?" Ichigo's blush deepens, "Long time ago, the music room's door was slightly open….and I heard you play, and it was absolutely beautiful.." at loss with what to say, Ikuno simply takes her time registering the bluenette's comment about her music being beautiful. It honestly brought a fluttering feeling to her chest. 

"A-anyway, could you teach me, now?" Ichigo interrupts her train of thoughts. Looking back at her friend, Ikuno smiles and nods, 

"Sure."

* * *

Ichigo was sitting on a stool with Ikuno's guitar on her hands, meanwhile, the violet haired girl stood behind her with her hands slowly guiding Ichigo's in pressing the right chords. To herself, Ikuno could feel her hands tingle over the small contact with Ichigo's skin. It felt warm and...right.. 

"Let's start with a G Major chord, shall we?" Ikuno says, her eyes gazing at how the bluenette's hair slowly fell to her face. "Okay...so first, put this finger on the third fret of the the first string…" she carefully places Ichigo's ring finger on the fret. "L-like this?" she nods. "Mhm, that's good. Next, place your index finger on the second fret of the fifth string and your middle finger on the third fret of the sixth string." 

Ichigo chuckles nervously, "This looks a little hard, isn't it?"

The bespectacled girl just shakes her head and gives a reassuring squeeze to the other's hand, "You'll manage. After all, you _are_ Ichigo…" Ichigo only smiles at her words. "Thanks Ikuno." 

Clearing her throat, Ikuno proceeds with the lesson, "Now, with your fingers in place, strum all six strings at once." holding Ichigo's other hand, she gently guides her all the way down to the last guitar string, emitting a perfect tune. Ikuno does this repeatedly until she lets go of her hand, letting Ichigo do it by herself, and once she did, the bluenette felt a sudden surge of happiness swell within her. "Ikuno, look! I-" facing the other girl, Ichigo finds herself gazing into Ikuno's emerald eyes that held a fondness she didn't quite see that much from her.

"I...Ikuno?" 

But her call fell on dead ears, because for Ikuno, all that mattered now was seeing the petite girl become happy because of her, and now, with the both of them facing each other, their faces just centimeters apart, Ikuno couldn't help but look at the bluenette's rosy lips and unconsciously, she licks her own.

' _They look so soft…'_

Without thinking, she finds herself leaning in towards Ichigo. Just a little more, they would…

She would…

' _I….'_

But the moment was cut short when she feels a small pair of hands pushing her away. Getting back to her proper senses, she finds a blushing Ichigo sporting a very confused look on her face and suddenly, Ikuno feels ashamed. "W-what was that?" Ichigo asks, slightly upset. _'Was she trying to pull a joke on me?'_

"I…" Ikuno wanted to say she doesn't know either, but sensing how this might frustrate the bluenette even more, she gives an excuse, "You had some dirt on your face." smiling, albeit a fake one, she lifts her hand and brushes the _'dirt'_ off her cheeks, making Ichigo blush harder.

' _Why'd you gotta be cute in a situation like this?'_

"R-really? Then why didn't you tell me, sooner!" suddenly, Ichigo realizes the sun was already about to set and it was time she should be heading home. Standing up, she gives back Ikuno her guitar and sends her a smile of gratitude. "It's getting late. I think we both should go home now, don't you think?" she asks, but for Ikuno, she still wanted some alone time to clear her thoughts, especially with what happened earlier. 

She waves off Ichigo's offer with a smile, "Nah, it's fine you go ahead. I...wanna stay here for a few more minutes." Shrugging, Ichigo then pats the taller girl's shoulder and gives her a thumbs up. "Mou, Ikuno, you really are hardworking aren't you? Anyway, best of luck for us at the concert!" she grins one more time before ultimately heading off, leaving Ikuno holding the spot where Ichigo patted her.

Somehow, it felt really warm.

Still, it confused her how earlier, she thought of putting her lips to her best friend. _Her best friend for crying out loud!_ Yet, somehow, deep inside her heart, she felt as if there wasn't anything wrong with her actions, but seeing Ichigo's troubled expression left her chest with an unexplainable tightness. _'And it hurts too….'_

However, at this point, all Ikuno could do is sigh. Not even her guitar could help her understand her jumbled feelings at the moment. it felt weird, scary at most, but who was she to complain?

After all, Ikuno knew she was always different.


	27. Chapter 25: Friday, In Bloom

This was new. 

With a paintbrush in his hand, Hiro finds himself crouching down as he does his task of making the class's banner for the concert. It's been quite a while since he actively joined in this sort of preparations, given how he would rather ditch any responsibility and would later be found at the rooftop in complete solitude back in his junior years. For the raven haired teen, exerting any sort of effort for this kind of events were just a bother and a waste of his time, 

that is, until now. 

With Zero Two in the scene, Hiro now had a reason to cooperate with the whole class, cause not only was she a part of their school event, but she was also chosen as one of the lead performers as well. A surge of pride for the pinkette swelled within his chest as he vows to himself how we would support her in any way he can.

Plus, it would be quite wonderful to hear Zero Two's singing voice.

Hiro blushes at the thought, wondering how her voice would sound like once she sings her heart out, more so, he couldn't help but imagine how she'd look like performing on stage. Would she be cute? Or would she give off a sexy kind of vibe? A vision of Zero Two reaching out to him on stage, eyes framed by her long lashes, smiling seductively, while wearing a short, red, cocktail dress invades his thoughts. 

Hiro could feel his cheeks getting warmer by the second. A tightness developing in his groin. 

Shaking this indecent thoughts of Zero Two, he tries his best to compose his raging imagination.

Moving on, Hiro continues on with his task, and although he had to admit his art skills were far more crappy than the others, he still gave everything he's got and luckily, after a few hours, the banner was almost done. 

The banner's design was simple. It was painted black with the group's name 'XX:me', placed on the center with the two large X's overlapping each other with a red and blue color scheme, and now, all Hiro had to do was refine the edges of each letter and he would be able to go home.

' _Home….'_

His mind wanders to the moments he and Zero Two share whenever they walk home together. It brings a smile to his face whenever she'd skip beside him, her hands intertwining with his, as she tells him stories he'd find himself earnestly listening to. She'd muse about her love for various things like sweets, anime, and Disney, but she'd never forget to ask him different things that'll help her know him more. Surprisingly, he'd find himself sharing more and more about his life to her, 

something he wouldn't have done if it were other people. 

But to him, Zero Two wasn't just like any other person. She was the brightest star that stood out in his perpetual night sky.

That's why, a sense of longing washed over him whenever Zero Two wasn't around, especially now since she was busy preparing for the performance. Despite her well known rebelliousness, once Ichigo asked Zero Two to sing alongside their group, Hiro could clearly see how her eyes sparkled in determination and happiness, and that alone made him feel ecstatic for her. To make things even better, the pinkette proudly declared she would be singing for him, her darling, and at that moment, his heart began to soar through different heights. 

It always amazes him how Zero Two could make him feel that way, and yet, he still doesn't understand why. He chooses not to question his feelings, and instead, he'd rather just go with the flow, in fear of messing things up between them. 

Still, despite how happy he felt for her now, he couldn't shake off just how much he misses her just being beside him… _'If only we could spend time, even just for a little while…'_ Hiro looks down longingly at his paintbrush as he is reminded with the pinkette's passion for art

' _Zero Two would love to do what I'm doing now…'_

Suddenly, he hears the door slide open, and by some miracle, he finds himself staring at the only girl in school with pink hair, piercing teal eyes, and a pair of bright red horns atop her head. 

"Zero Two!" he calls out, his lips involuntarily shifting upwards into a smile.

Said girl smiles, although he could clearly see she was panting quite heavily and her bangs clung to her forehead because of sweat. She was also wearing a black tshirt rather than the usual school polo.

Still, although it didn't surprise him, it was a little worrying how even after looking so weary, she still managed to wear her red muffler. 

Once she crouches beside him, he gently scolds her, "Zero Two, you shouldn't be wearing that muffler. You might overheat from exhaustion!" Zero Two just grins, finding his concern for her adorable, "Don't worry darling, it doesn't bother me at all!" she gives him the peace sign. 

"Still, you shouldn't forget to look out for yourself, okay?" he reminds her. "Anyway, aren't you supposed to go home?" 

Zero Two shrugs, "It's been awhile since we've seen each other, darling...I wanted to be with you…"

His heart skips a beat, _'So she's the same as me, huh..'_

"Anyhow...what'ya making darling?" she asks, taking a peek at the banner sprawled on the floor, and out of sudden self consciousness, Hiro tries blocking her view. "T-this…!" he stutters, before taking a deep breath to recollect himself. "...it's the banner Ichigo asked me to do for the concert…." 

"Oh really? Can I help?" Zero Two offers with a hopeful smile on her face. The way her eyes sparkle makes Hiro's insides feel like jelly; how could he possibly say no to that kind of face? 

"O-of course...but it's kinda almost done so…" Zero Two eyes the banner carefully, before saying, "Actually, I think we could add one more detail, darling. Do you have a spare brush?" Hiro nods, reaching towards the spare materials he had and passing it to the girl beside him. 

"Yosh! Let's get to work, darling!" Zero Two beams, leaping over the banner and situating herself opposite to her darling, meanwhile, Hiro complies and begins refining the logo. Once he's done, he finds his eyes tracing the fluid movements of Zero Two's brush, all the way up to how her pink hair falls over her shoulders and how her face was scrunched up, focusing on her drawing. 

' _She looks cute like this..'_ Hiro marvels as he feels a warmth making its way to his cheeks. He couldn't help but feel tempted to brush her pink locks away so he could clearly see her face.

And out of impulse, he did.

Reaching out with trembling fingers, he accidentally brushes Zero Two's cheek as well, causing the girl to look up in surprise. Hiro finds himself being pulled in by her mesmerizing stare, causing his heart to thump loudly against his chest. When he sees her face getting closer, he finds himself slowly leaning towards her as well, a feeling of eagerness bubbling inside him.

' _Just a little more...I..we..'_ His eyes flutter closed, bracing himself of what's to come.

 _THUMP_

"O-ouch…" Hiro feels a slight pain on his forehead over some sudden impact. Opening his eyes, he realizes Zero Two had just bumped her horns on his forehead, which explains the sharp jolt he experienced. 

"W-what..?" Hiro asks, clearly confused. 

With a bashful smile on her blushing face, Zero Two tells him softly, "I've always wanted to do that, darling.." her blush intensifies, causing Hiro to blush as well. "I thought...that..I..we..- 

"You were expecting a kiss, weren't you?" she accuses playfully, a smug grin forming on her rose lips. Her words almost caused Hiro a heart attack. Sweating nervously, he tries to come up with an excuse, but fails miserably, causing Zero Two to chuckle.

"Y'know, darling, a kiss is something special shared by two people when they're in love…" she smiles fondly, the unfamiliar warmth coming back to plague his insides.

' _Love?'_

What did she mean by 'love?' 

To be honest, even if Hiro had read a lot of books describing love, in a romantic sense, he still couldn't quite grasp the concept of it. Some writers would describe it as a magical feeling that transcends all sorts of problems, while some may describe it as both pleasurable and painful in a poetic sense, but for him, this only brings him more into confusion? 

But these feelings he had for the pinkette, he knows that it was far different from what he felt with Ichigo or the others. He also finds his chest tightening up whenever he's with her, at times it feels good but some other times, it makes it harder to breathe, especially when she smiles… 

….when she smiles.. 

And that kiss they both shared! He finds himself secretly wanting more, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her. He's scared that she might find him weird or clingy, and maybe she might not bother with him ever again… 

And yet..even if weeks had already passed, he could still remember every detail on how their kiss went. How her lips were so soft and sweet, and how it fits perfectly against his one, inexperienced ones. 

He wonders if she has ever kissed anyone before and his heart clenches in pain at the thought. 

But were his feelings strong enough to be called love? Or was it just because of how he could familiarize himself with her, that's why he was growing so attached to her? Most importantly, did Zero Two feel the same towards him?

Does her heart race whenever she was near him? 

Hiro finds himself unable to vocalize his thoughts. Maybe someday, he would be able to figure out his own feelings, but for now, it would be better if he got to know her more, then maybe….

 _Maybe…_

He'd get his answer.

"Darling? You're spacing out again!" he hears her call out to him while patting him on the cheek.

Snapping him out from his pondering, all he could focus on now was how gleeful she was showing the simple bird she drew on the banner, and somehow, all his questions are put at ease, because Hiro's quite sure that whatever feelings he had for the girl in front of him, wasn't bad at all. In fact, he wishes that with each passing day they spend with each other, the feelings he have for her would grow stronger till it reaches out to her, and maybe, they'd both find the answer together.

Like what she's said; they were partners after all.

But for Hiro, regardless of this unknown emotions he has for her, one thing would always be constant …

And that would be Zero Two being the most precious person in his life at the moment, and he wishes it would stay that way until the end;

For forever.

And for now, he is satisfied with this kind of answer.


	28. Chapter 26: Saturday, Of flowers and Tea

The school days have finally passed since the whole class decided to come up with a concert for the school festival, and to say the whole preparations stressed Mitsuru would be an understatement. Since he did hold the title of being the council's secretary, Ichigo tasked him with dealing with different sponsorships through writing letter after letter, not to mention he had to also balance his works in the council as well. 

It was a surprise he was able to get through the whole week without suffering a heart attack. 

However, Mitsuru'd have to admit, if it weren't for his classmate and assistant secretary, Kokoro, he might as well been consumed by the hundreds of paperwork he had done throughout the week. Yes, it's been weeks since she found out about his condition, and despite telling her to leave him be, it was very clear to him that she wouldn't do that, instead, she seemed to be trying to get to him in any way she can, doing as much as making him coffee, which she had failed to do the first time. 

Although her coffee seemed to improve overtime. 

Not only that, but sometimes during their free time, instead of hanging out with either Miku or Futoshi, Kokoro would sometimes approach him and try to make small talk or ask him if they could study together. Some other times, she shares with him the bread Futoshi makes for her during council work, but this time, he's able to decline. Most recently, Kokoro was the one organizing his papers and was in charge with speaking to the sponsors on the phone, her gentle and kind nature proved to be a charm with the sponsors, and Mitsuru knows he was FAR from being like her, (who knows what he brash thing he could say to those exasperating people..) 

Still, despite being somewhat grateful towards the blonde over lessening this week's workload, it still bothered Mitsuru how the girl started acting after seeing him in his weakened state. A large part of him felt that all Kokoro's efforts were just an act of pity.

And it irked him to no end.

Despite this, he doesn't understand why he couldn't tell her for the second time to leave him alone, and instead, he just bears her presence. Unlike with the others, Mitsuru could straight up, tell them bluntly what he thought and what he felt, and at most times, it labelled him as cold and impatient; but with Kokoro, he couldn't bring himself to say something hurtful, or at the very least, sarcastic.

It was probably since she was one of the mature ones in their group, and of course, it would be troublesome if he develops bad blood with his fellow council member.

' _Yeah, that must be it.'_ he tells himself, almost all the time.

But right now, it wasn't a certain girl who was bugging his mind all day, instead, here he was navigating the streets in an early Saturday morning, trying to find the nearest flower shop he would find.

"Out of all people, why did it have to be me.." Mitsuru grumbles to himself. Not only was his stress already piled up thanks to the school festival, but he also was not exactly considered as a person who loves going out on weekends. No, Mitsuru would rather stay at home and read a good book or probably practice some violin, but Ichigo just HAD to order him to buy some flowers for the concert. 

He wasn't even interested in flowers for god sakes! 

Well anyways, even if he grumbles all day long, he still had no choice but to abide to her orders. After all, she _was_ the president.

Lucky for him, he spots a flower shop at the other side of the street named 'The Red Hibiscus'. Wanting to get things done immediately, Mitsuru quickly crosses the street in order to get to the shop, and once he does get in, he doesn't expect to see someone so familiar from the past weeks.

* * *

It was a calm, Saturday morning. 

A girl with long ash blonde hair slowly emerges from the bed covers with a small yawn. Stretching her limbs, Kokoro admits she feels a little sore from this week's practices. Ichigo had chosen her as one of the members of their group 'XX:me' for the school festival, and of course, they had to practice hard to give everyone a spectacular performance. It was tiresome, but for Kokoro, it was also quite fun. 

However, despite the performers only task was to practice, it hadn't gone unnoticed to Kokoro that her certain classmate, the boy with the slicked olive hair and cold forest green eyes was struggling with a lot of tasks. Unlike the other guys whose only task was to prepare the stage, props and other equipment, Mitsuru was in charge with the internal and external relations, which means he had to write a ton of letters for permission directed to the school's department heads, as well as letters asking for sponsorships outside the campus. Due to her inevitable caring nature, as well as knowing how stress may affect Mitsuru's condition, Kokoro made the resolve to help him when she is able to. After all, she too, had experience, when it comes to his field of expertise, given that she was his assistant secretary.

That's why, for the past few days, she made it a habit to stop by the council room to find him working all alone, and inwardly, she sighs over his stubbornness of refusing any kind of help. _'He never likes leaning on others…'_ Kokoro would approach him, during breaks and after class, and offer him her assistance. When he'd say no, all she would do is tell him how it was also her job as his assistant to help ease his work, and somehow, this would work.

When she did work with Mitsuru, she found herself being immersed with silence, however, it wasn't the nerve wrecking type. To be honest, the silence she shares with Mitsuru made her feel at ease. It was like his own little way of showing Kokoro he didn't really mind her presence, especially when she'd see him steal glances with a mildly curious glint invading his usual cold gaze. Once she catches him, all she'd do is give him a small smile, to which he'd immediately look away from her and continue on with his work. 

For Kokoro, this kind of moments made her feel happy somehow. 

But now was not the time to be thinking about the olive haired boy. Instead, Kokoro gets up from her bed and daintily walks to her bathroom. After showering, she puts on a simple white dress and styles her hair into a side braid before putting her gardener's apron and tying it loosely on her waist. 

Today, Kokoro was in charge with her grandma's flower shop, since her grandma goes to another town every weekend to buy some supplies for the shop.

Grabbing some fruit for breakfast, Kokoro suddenly hears the bells from the shop chime, signaling a customer has just entered. Swallowing whatever contents she had in her mouth, she immediately goes out of the kitchen and heads to the flower shop to see a customer who happened to be a boy, probably the same age as her, or older. Instantly, her lips curl upwards into a smile as she approaches the customer and after taking a better look, something in her is telling her how familiar the man looked.

Especially with that piercing green eyes of his….

* * *

"Good morning sir, how may I help you?" he hears a familiar, gentle voice greet him. Turning to where the voice came from, his eyes widen when he sees Kokoro standing in front of him with a smile on her face. She wasn't in her usual uniform, and instead, she was wearing a dainty white dress with a green apron tied to her waist. Her whole outfit seemed to accentuate how slim and curvy she was, making Mitsuru shift his eyes uneasily.

Once he's able to look at her, he realizes she hasn't greeted him by his name yet, which clearly means she hasn't recognized him yet. Mitsuru figured that would be the case, since he really didn't put his hair up during weekends. 

"Sir?" Kokoro calls out once more, her sapphire blue eyes wondering why the customer was so silent.

"Kokoro san.." Mitsuru says, to which Kokoro instantly realizes who she was dealing with. In embarrassment, her cheeks redden in an instant, rivalling the red hibiscus placed by the door.

"I...I'm so sorry Mitsuru kun! I didn't realize it was you with your hair like that an-" 

"It's fine." Mitsuru cuts her off curtly before his posture turns somewhat, rigid. "If you didn't know, Ichigo sent me to buy some flowers for the concert." he starts, staring at her with his unyielding eyes, "To cut things short, I need some flowers immediately so I could go off at once."

"Is that so?" Kokoro says with a smile, "Well then, Mitsuru kun, what flowers do you need?" she asks to which she notices Mitsuru's face turn thoughtful, a small scowl on his lips. 

"Well, she did tell me that it would be given to you performers after the show…" he says thoughtfully. 

"Oh really? Well isn't that quite sad, I'll just have to feign surprise by that point." she jokes to which he doesn't respond. "Anyways," her smile never faltering as she waltzes through the shop, "I think I know just the right flowers!" she beams.

"Would it be okay if I arrange them in a bouquet?" Mitsuru nods,

"Do as you wish."

* * *

Sitting by a stool, Mitsuru sees Kokoro come back with a number of bouquets covering her face, and instinctively, he stands up to gather some of the bouquets in his arms. Smiling over his chivalry, Kokoro thanks him. 

"Anyways Mitsuru kun, here are the flowers!" Mitsuru observes how perfectly made the bouquets were, with vibrant colors of red, lavender and fuschia and pale pink making it stand out. 

' _Did she make this? All by herself?'_ Mitsuru couldn't help but be impressed with how clean she was with her creativity, and it all just lasted for about thirty minutes. 

Sensing his silent curiosity, Kokoro finds herself explaining to him her choice of flowers for their upcoming event. "Those are long stemmed Dendroibium Orchids, Mitsuru kun." She says gently. "Instead of the usual roses, I found these kind of flowers to be much more..unique in a way. Kind of like our group, with how different each one of us are." her mind takes her back to their first practice session, where each one of them had a certain quirk to their personalities which would soon be a pivotal part of their individuality as a group.

"For example, Miku is the cheerful and energetic one in the group, Ichigo is the calm and collected leader, Ikuno considers herself as the 'wall flower' of the group and Zero Two, she's seen as the rebellious one…" she smiles over describing her friends. "Still...no matter how different we are with one another, just like this bouquet, when we're together as a team, we could do great music as long as we lean on each other!" she smiles as she turns to Mitsuru, who was quietly listening to her musings. "Is it good, Mitsuru kun?" 

A silence passes between them before he nods. Talking slowly, he says, "This will do Kokoro san, now, may I ask how much all of this might cost?" he is surprised when he sees her shake her head. "No, no, it's fine! Take it as my contributions for the concert!" 

"You've already done enough." he retorts, but is taken aback when he sees her grinning cheekily.

"Like what I've said before, a little ounce of kindness wouldn't hurt, you know?" sighing, he realizes he certainly couldn't win with this woman. 

"You really are unbelievable at times, huh?"

She only smiles in response.

* * *

After making some finishing touches with the bouquets and giving him reminders on what to do with them, Mitsuru takes this as a chance to go back home, but as he starts leaving the shop without a word, he suddenly feels Kokoro tug on his sleeve with a shy blush on her face. He gives her a questioning stare, "What is it?" 

"Um...as an apology for not recognizing you earlier, would it be okay if I make you some tea, perhaps?" 

Of course, he would reject her. He doesn't have the time to be chummy with her this fine weekend. "It's not necessary. I-" but she doesn't budge, and instead, she pulls him a little harder, her arm linked with his, the sudden contact of their skins sending an electrifying jolt in him as he is rendered suddenly helpless through her insistence. 

"Come now, it's a beautiful Saturday! It wouldn't hurt spending some time with a friend!" she says cheerfully, leaving him gawking at her free spiritedness.

Apparently, this side of her was clearly something he has never seen before, or at least, noticed. 

Kokoro drags him inside her home to where he finds himself sitting on her home's balcony that had a garden filled with lots of flowers and indoor plants, only a few he could name. Kokoro had left him for a bit to make some tea, and after a few minutes, he could clearly smell something fragrant brewing. _'Her home was pretty calming…'_ he thinks to himself, yet he still couldn't help but feel anxious over being at a girl's house, more importantly, they were the only ones inside at the moment. Mitsuru gulps,

He was still a man, after all.

Feelings of anxiousness are soon forgotten when he hears Kokoro's footsteps. She had a tray in her hand that had a small teapot, cups, and a plate of green tea mochi. Placing it on the low table, she sits just across him, a welcoming smile adorning her lips. 

"Please help yourself." 

And help himself, he did. He poured himself a cup of tea and slowly drank it, savoring the hot liquid going down his throat and finds it very refreshing. Staring at the amber liquid, he muses to himself how Kokoro was far better in brewing tea than coffee. 

Not that it mattered to him, anyway. 

"What is this made of?" he asks her, taking in the aromatic scent the drink was giving off.

"It's Jasmine tea. My grandma grows them over there." Kokoro points to a plant with white flowers just across them. "Is it good?" he only nods in response, to which, she smiles in return. 

For a while, they just sit there, sipping their tea in silence, his eyes observing the gentle movements of the plants. Meanwhile, Kokoro takes in the boy's appearance, noting how with his hair down, shoulders relaxed and his usual cold stare more mellow, Mitsuru did seem really good looking, not that he wasn't as usual- considering it was apparent, even to her, that a lot of girls flock over his cool, withdrawn, personality. 

' _I bet if he would smile a bit more, more girls would fall for him…'_ Kokoro blushes hard, realizing how absurd her thought was. _'I shouldn't be thinking of him like that!'_

Mitsuru notices how red her face had gotten and dares to ask, "Why is your face all red?" his question makes her burn a lot harder. Looking away, Kokoro manages a stutter, "I-it's..! T-this is nothing…." slowly, she peeks at him and sees him already looking away with a stoic expression.

' _He really is something, huh…'_

"Ne, Mitsuru kun…" Kokoro calls out softly and he responds by glancing at her questioningly, yet his eyes didn't hold any spite like they usually did when speaking to others. "..you were pretty busy this week, weren't you?" he crosses his arms and huffs, "pretty much.."

"Is that so.." Kokoro says thoughtfully before giving him a reassuring smile, to which Mitsuru notes how she had a single dimple on her right cheek. "Still, you managed to finish all the work without any problems...you're really cool!" 

Not used to receiving such direct compliments, Mitsuru turns away with a small scowl adorning his lips, but deep inside, that unknown feeling from back then was bubbling inside his damned chest. "You were busy, yourself…" he grumbles, trying to counter her words. "Oh, it wasn't that much…" he hears her say.

' _Honestly, she really is so…'_

"Not only were you finding the time to help me with all my work, but you were also practicing for your performance this Monday, and you tell me 'it wasn't that much?'" Mitsuru scoffs, mildly annoyed at how clueless Kokoro could get. "To be honest, you really didn't have to help me, Kokoro san. You should've just focused on your singing, or else…" he pauses, at loss for what he should say. 

"Or else?" she looks at him with those bright blue eyes of hers, forcing him to look away and take a sip of his scalding tea in order to recollect himself. 

"A-anyway," his usually cold tone falters a little, but goes unnoticed to the confused girl, "..What I'm trying to say is, there isn't anything cool with what I've done, since you seemed to be doing much more than I could…" there was a short pause before he hears a soft giggle coming out of her lips. 

"What's so funny?" 

"N-nothing. Nothing at all!" with a fond smile, Kokoro tells him, "It's just that….I never thought I'd get to hear kind words from you, Mitsuru kun!" he frowns, his green eyes, once again glowering coldly. "That's not what I meant." his voice had a harsh ring to it, but it only makes Kokoro smile wider, because she knew what his words exactly meant.

Even if he was always so distant and cold with all the others, she knew deep inside that Mitsuru was a kind and hardworking man. it made her feel happy how worried he was for her, even in his own, Mitsuru kind of way. Plus, he just kind of indirectly complimented her, which was quite a surprise for her, since she never thought he'd acknowledge anyone, let alone her. 

"Well, if that's how you'd put it...then will it be fine if I ask you one, small request, Mitsuru kun?" Mitsuru turns to her and is rendered helpless over how soft her blue eyes were staring at him. 

"What is it?" he asks rather abruptly.

' _For the Mitsuru kun who always works so hard..'_ Smiling one more time, Kokoro says, "Since we've both worked so hard, please feel free to look forward to Xx:Me's performance!" 

"Is that all?" she chuckles at his bluntness, "Well, I could tell you to enjoy, but knowing Mitsuru kun, you'd probably just scowl.." and just as Kokoro expects, he does, making her stifle a laugh, "See? Just like that!" she points out, but not before saying, "Still, no matter how many times you scowl...it's still just a part of who you are. A part of the Mitsuru kun that I like!" she confesses, unaware of the implications she has made. 

Taken aback with her sudden assertiveness, Mitsuru accidentally chokes on his tea. Coughing, he looks at her with a slight blush dusting his pale cheeks. "Like? Do you even know what you're saying..?" Tilting her head to the side in an innocent fashion, she says, 

"Eh? Is it wrong for me to like you as a friend?"

 _Oh._

Mitsuru scoffs over the silliness of the situation. _'Of course, Kokoro san wasn't really the type to indulge in those kind of things after all…'_ relieved, he thinks to himself.

' _Still, with what she meant by friend...she..-_

"Oh no! It's already noon!" breaking him out of his thoughts, he hears Kokoro exclaim in a panicked voice. Turning to him, he sees her face is twisted into an apologetic expression, "I'm so sorry for keeping you for so long, Mitsuru kun! You probably have some other errands to do!" Actually, Mitsuru really didn't have anything much to do, but realizing that he indeed, spent too much time in Kokoro's house, he really did have to go. Silently, he grabs the bouquets with Kokoro's help and is then escorted outside of her home, but just before he leaves, he sees her wave shyly before saying,

"Thanks for spending time with me, Mitsuru kun…" he looks down, unsure of what to reply.

"It's not a big deal," he says bluntly, taking in her small pout, before adding, "..still, thanks for the tea. It was.." he pauses to scratch his cheek, "..good…" 

Brightening up, Kokoro clasps her hands together and grins, "If you liked it, please feel free to come anytime you like! You're always welcome here!" she beams, making Mitsuru's chest tighten, unbeknownst to him. "Don't bother," he says before walking away from her, a rogue smirk forming on his lips.

Little does he know that in the days to come, he'd find himself standing inside Kokoro and her grandmother's shop with absolutely no intentions of buying some flowers, at all.


	29. Chapter 27: Shared Festivities

"Waah!" a pinkette with unusual, bright, red horns beams while holding on to her raven haired companion. Her eyes glimmer with new found wonder over the colorful streamers decorating the whole school, along with different booths that features games, food, and other sorts of entertainment filling up the entire campus. 

"So this is a school festival!" Zero Two's lips curl into an ecstatic grin before turning to Hiro excitedly, "Ne, darling, what should we try first?" smiling fondly over her enthusiasm, Hiro tells her, "I think we should enter our classroom first, don't you think?" the pinkette pouts, making his smile grow wider, "Maybe later, we could go get some candied apples?" 

"Really?!" he nods, "Yup. Consider it my trea-oomf!" Hiro's cut off when he suddenly feel a pair of arms envelop him in a tight hug. Blushing, he could feel Zero Two squeezing him tighter. "Thank you darling!" she exclaims happily in his ear, and all he could do was smile. 

"No problem, Zero Two."

* * *

Once the pair enters their classroom, they are immediately greeted by Ichigo and Goro, who both had some boxes in their hands. "Ah, Hiro, Zero Two...would you mind giving us a hand?" Goro asks. Nodding, Hiro grabs a few boxes from Ichigo's hands while handing some to his pink haired companion. "Still got a few more things to do?" he asks. 

"Mhm." Ichigo hums. "Technicals are being checked by Futoshi and Ikuno, while Miku and Zorome are preparing the cameras for documentary…"

"Yep! Also, Mitsuru's got his hands a bit filled with the sponsors, while Kokoro's retrieving the flowers and costumes.." Goro adds. "C-costumes?" Hiro asks, looking at Zero Two who had a nonchalant look on her face. Shrugging, she says, "It isn't that much."

Before Hiro could ask any more questions, she changes the subject, shaking the contents of the box lightly "Anyway, what are these for?" Zero Two asks. 

"Oh, these are light sticks. We're gonna give these stuff out before the concert." the bluenette explains with a small smile. "Really? What for?" she asks once more, not familiar with the light stick concept. Zero Two really didn't have much experience when it comes to attending concerts and parties, considering she never really did bothered attending any social events due to her horns. 

With a cheeky smirk, Ichigo teases lightly, "It's a secret, but later, you'll see ~"

* * *

Once the four of them have placed the boxes in the council's storage room for the time being, Goro turns to the Hiro and Zero Two with a boyish grin plastered on his handsome face. "Thanks for the help guys, now why don't we all enjoy the rest of the day?" the moment his words reached Zero Two's ears, she immediately attaches herself to Hiro's arms and dragging him out the room with ease. With a playful smile on her lips, she tells him to bring her to the candied apples he was talking about earlier. "You promised me you'd treat me, right?" she reminds him teasingly, earning her a small blush from the raven haired boy. "Y-yeah.." 

Shaking his head, Goro couldn't help but smile at the sweet scene before him. For him, it was a relief seeing Hiro less apathetic now, since Zero Two came. It was like the horned girl was slowly changing his best friend's heart in a million of ways only she can do, plus, Hiro seemed cheerful nowadays, being able to smile more freely as compared to before.

Well, if Zero Two made his best friend happy, then he's happy as well.

' _But that doesn't mean they could do as they please!'_ he thinks to himself in a joking manner before calling out to the two 'love birds', "Just don't forget to come an hour or two before the concert, okay?" turning to look at Zero Two, he flashes her a smile, "Especially you, Zero Two." 

Once the two were gone, Goro turns to see his blue haired companion, only to see Ichigo sporting a longing, yet sad expression. "Are you okay?" he asks, reaching out to tap her shoulders, but before he could, Ichigo seemingly snaps out of her gloom-filled state. 

"O-oh! Silly me, I kinda spaced out for a moment…" she sends him a wide smile, but Goro notes how faked it looked, 

Especially with how her eyebrows seemed to furrow over something that troubled her.

And with a small gut feeling he just chooses to ignore, Goro couldn't help but feel troubled as well.

Still, this wouldn't stop him from having some fun for the day. Teasingly bringing his fist to her head before ruffling her short, blue locks, Goro tells her, "Come on, let's go enjoy the festival, as well."

* * *

"Two candied apples please." Hiro puts out two fingers to emphasize his order. "What flavors?" the store owner asks, picking two apples that have already been poked with sticks. "Um, I'd have the tradition caramel ones.." he says before glancing towards Zero Two, who had a hungry glint in her teal orbs. _'S-she's practically drooling!'_ Hiro sweat drops. "How about you, Zero Two? Have you picked one out yet?" 

"One chocolate covered caramel apple please. With some sprinkles and marshmallows on top!" She says rather excitedly, Hiro couldn't quite grasp what she said. Luckily, the store owner understood her order, chuckling over zealousness. "Okay, two candied apples coming right up!" 

After a few minutes, the store owner came back with their orders. "How much?" Hiro asks, rummaging through his wallet. After knowing the price and paying, he and Zero Two sit by the school's fountain side by side. By this time, Hiro could clearly say he has already gotten used to the pinkette's closeness and displays of affection, only letting a few blushes out here and there. Once he has gotten over the initial giddiness, he finds his moments with Zero Two a lot peaceful, especially when it's just the two of them. 

And sometimes, whenever she lets her cool persona slip away, he just marvels at how innocent and excitable she is with her surroundings. She was like a puppy, if he would be completely honest with himself. 

Sneaking a glance to see the pink haired girl happily licking her treat with her eyes closed, Hiro thinks to himself how she really DID had a puppy kind of feel.

' _A really, REALLY, cute puppy, to be more precise…'_

"Darling? Is something wrong with my face?" Zero Two asks, wondering why her darling seemed to be ogling at her with a weird expression. Snapping out of his thoughts, Hiro looks away with a small blush adorning his cheeks. "I-it's nothing.." he stutters, when suddenly, he feels something wet make contact near his mouth. Letting out a surprised yelp, he could feel his heart thumping loudly as he realizes Zero Two had just licked him. "W-what was that for?" Hiro questions, his face getting warmer by the minute. 

"You had a stain on your mouth." she points out bluntly, a teasing smirk forming on her sweet stained lips, "It's sweet. I wouldn't mind doing it again." Zero Two licks her lips, a bit too seductively for Hiro's tastes. He could feel a tightening forming inside him as he tries his hardest not to give in to his raging hormones.

' _She may be a cute puppy, but she's also too dangerous!'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Goro and Ichigo were strolling along the campus, checking out the different activities the booths had to offer, when Ichigo suddenly sees a flash of pink by the fountain. Seeing it was Hiro and Zero Two, she couldn't help but feel the tightness in her chest from earlier coming back. _'They look so happy…'_ she wonders as her eyes observe the happy blushes the two have, while Zero Two feeds Hiro with her candied apple.

Ichigo should be happy for Hiro, seeing him happy with Zero Two, but why was it whenever she sees the two of them together, her chest hurts so much?

' _Maybe I'm just being a little overprotective towards Hiro….'_ she thinks to herself, a bit half heartedly, when she feels Goro's warm hand on her head once more. 

"G-goro?" 

He grins, yet he knows Ichigo was feeling down once more, and as his eyes trailed her own distant gaze, he realizes his gut feeling was right all along.

She's upset with what's going on with Hiro and Zero Two.

And as much as it pains his own heart, Goro resolves to cheer Ichigo up. "Ne, you love cats, right?" he says with a cheeky grin. Blushing, she looks away from his honey colored eyes out of embarrassment, "Y-yeah, so?"

Pointing to a nearby stall that was filled with stuffed animals, Goro tells her with a confident tone, "I bet I could win one for you." 

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Ichigo asks in disbelief, silently wishing he wasn't messing with her and her love for cats. Giving her a pat in the back, Goro grins, "Of course I would! After all, we're best friends, right?" blushing, Ichigo thanks him before wishing him luck as the blonde marches his way to the stall.

"Go win it, Goro. I believe in you!"

Approaching the shabby looking booth with Ichigo trailing behind him, he notices the game was a shooting game. _'Ah, shit, I'm not good with this kind of stuff…'_ Goro gulps. Still, he had to win it to get the black cat doll for Ichigo. He vows that before the day ends, he'll manage to make her forget about Hiro and Zero Two and be genuinely happy.

' _Yes, that's why, I have to win no matter what!'_

However, it is by his third try he begins questioning himself, his confidence slowly being beaten into a pulp. He could see Ichigo looking at him with worried filled eyes over how much money he has already spent. "Look, Goro, you really don't have to push yourself…" she tries reasoning, but deep inside, she couldn't help but feel amused over his sheer determination even though he sucks badly at shooting games. _'It's his bad vision, I can tell…'_

"No! I promised you didn't I? I'll win that doll for you no matter what it takes!" He argues, his determination firing up once more as he fires a bullet that unfortunately misses the bull's eye. 

Ichigo sighs, "Still…- 

"What's going on around here?" A female's voice calls, 

Turning to see whose voice it belonged to, Ichigo gasps to see her freckled friend, Ikuno approaching them with a stoic expression. "Ikuno! Glad to see you!" Ichigo smiles sweetly, to be returned with a soft smile from the other girl. "Same here, Ichigo. I haven't seen you around since this morning…" 

Scratching her head, Ichigo fidgets awkwardly, "Ah well, you see…" her eyes trail over Goro, who was so focused with winning her a prize, he hasn't noticed Ikuno's presence yet. "He's kinda hung up with this shooting game...too bad he sucks.." the bluenette giggles. 

Choking back a laugh, Ikuno eyes the man with amusement. "Is that so? Then would you mind if I play one little game?" Ichigo nods, "Sure! Why not?" she says, giving the taller girl a push.

Standing side by side with the blonde haired man, Ikuno playfully punches his arm. "Yo Goro, mind giving me a try?" she asks with her arms outstretched. Feeling a little tired and bashful with his numerous shooting attempts, Goro reluctantly passes the play rifle to the girl's hands. 

"Uh, sure, go ahead." 

Smirking, Ikuno lifts the rifle to her face and fires the bullet with ease, instantly hitting the bull's eye, making Goro open his mouth wide in awe. Meanwhile, Ichigo was grinning proudly at her talented best friend. "Wow, Ikuno! I never knew you had a good aim!" 

"I-it's no big deal…" she blushes over the bluenette's compliment before turning to Goro, "Now, what prize were you so keen on winning?" he flushes while ignoring her gaze, pointing to the black cat doll sitting on top of the shelf. 

"T-that one.." 

Immediately understanding why he'd wanted that toy over anything else, Ikuno asks the stall owner for the doll and hands it over to Ichigo with a smile. "Have this Ichigo. I bet Goro would've loved to give this to you…" she gives her a small wink, only to be surprised when she feels herself being pulled down into a tight hug. "Thank you, Ikuno! I'll definitely cherish this!" pulling away, Ikuno hides her blush with her right hand, "W-well then, I'd better be off. Gotta practice for later." Waving, Ikuno heads off, leaving Ichigo and an embarrassed Goro. 

"Goro?" she pokes him softly on his side. Looking away, he mutters, "I'm sorry I couldn't give that to you personally…" 

' _This idiot..'_ Ichigo couldn't help but smile at her best friend's sweet side. "It's fine. It's the thought that matters after all, right?" 

"But-" Goro tries arguing but is immediately cut off when he sees her smiling genuinely, her eyes softly crinkling over the happiness she was feeling at that moment. Goro swears his heart just stopped then and there, especially when he feels her hand make its way to his, pulling him somewhere to God knows where. "Where are we going?"

"Well, after all this playing, I'm sure you're tired. Why don't we get something to eat?"

* * *

After fetching some stuff for the concert, Kokoro finds herself walking alone in the campus, admiring the various booths decorated with much color and splendor. _'It truly feels like a carnival or some sort!'_ she thinks to herself happily. Just then, she feels herself bump into someone. Letting out a small gasp, she expects to hit the ground but is immediately caught by a hand, so big and warm. Looking up, she sees Futoshi smiling down at her. "Futoshi kun" she greets him with a smile as he helps her back on her footing. 

"Kokoro chan! Enjoying the school festival?" He asks with a smile of his own, walking close to her. "Mhm! The atmosphere seems so lively today!" she exclaims happily before scratching the back of her head, "Though, I kinda just arrived, so I haven't tried any of the booths yet…" 

"Oh, is that so?" Futoshi says, when he suddenly remembers something, "Ah by the way, Kokoro chan! There's this bread eating competition I just joined. Wanna watch?" Kokoro nods, "Of course!" 

"G-great! Now, follow me!" 

Trailing behind an excited Futoshi, they come to a stop in an open area with a crowd cheering over some contestants eating buffalo wings. Seeing how sloppily the players were eating, sauce flying all over the place made Kokoro's stomach feel slightly queasy, however, for her friend's sake, she chooses to keep it to herself. The competition finally ended when one contestant finished the whole thing in a matter of three minutes with their plates licked clean. The winner was soon rewarded with a coupon of all you can eat chicken wings. 

Thinking to herself, Kokoro wonders how they could still possibly eat those after wolfing down almost a hundred pieces in mere minutes. 

Just then, an announcement for the upcoming bread eating battle comes up, meaning it was Futoshi's turn to participate. With a cheerful smile plastered on her face, she wishes the plump boy good luck. "Thanks Kokoro chan! I'll make sure I'll win this for you!" Futoshi blushes before going up the stage along with the other contestants.

Once she sees Futoshi seated comfortably, waiting for the plates of bread to enter, Kokoro decides to stray a little further from the crowd and instead, chooses to stand beneath some tree. This was fine for her since she could still watch Futoshi from afar and shade herself away from the sun's afternoon heat. Hearing the buzzer ring, she mentally notes how determined Futoshi looked as he began gobbling down the bread before him.

"My, I hope he doesn't choke.." Kokoro murmurs to herself, clearly worried for her friend.

"If he keeps going at it at that kind of pace, I wouldn't be surprised if he does." suddenly, a male's voice coldly states loud enough for her to hear. Recognizing that tone, she turns to see a certain olive haired boy with a piercing green stare.

"Mitsuru kun!" She breathes out, surprised to see him out of the blue. Eyeing her, Mitsuru says nothing. 

"W-what are you doing here?" she asks, trying to relieve the awkward silence between them. "I was walking around and found the heat unbearable. I didn't notice you were here as well." He explains with the certain coolness he always seems to possess. "Ah, is that so.." Kokoro looks to the ground and says nothing after that. 

"...You've been with Futoshi all day?" He suddenly asks her, his gaze feels as if he was drilling holes into her. Because of the intensity, Kokoro gulps. "No, not at all. I just bumped into him, that's all."

"Is that so…"

"Mhm. Anyway, have you seen the eating contest earlier?" she asks, trying to make their conversation keep on going, and luckily for her, he gives her an answer, albeit a bit irritated, "You mean the one with the wings?" Mitsuru scoffs over remembering the disgusting scene earlier, "God, that was so disgusting...it's confusing how people could even dare watch it till the end.." surprisingly, he hears a soft chuckle come from the woman beside him. 

"Thank goodness! I thought I was the only one who felt that way.." she smiles up to him, which Mitsuru finds weird. "You-

Suddenly, there talk is interrupted when a group of what seems to be juniors flock over them. Using their shock to their advantage, the students take their ring fingers and binds them together with a super sticky tape. 

"W-what's this?!" Mitsuru struggles taking off the tape to no avail. "What the heck are you kids doing?" 

Grinning deviously, the leader presents to them the special scissors that could cut off the tape. "As part of our class's event, you two should pose in lovey dovey way before we cut off the tape." 

"A-and if we don't?" Kokoro asks, nervously thinking about the consequences they could get. 

"Well, pay up." hearing the other option, Mitsuru rolls his eyes and smirks. _'These kids wouldn't possibly ask for a high amount, right?'_ with his free hand, he haughtily places it on his waist. "How much?" came his prideful voice.

"50 bucks."

Taken aback, he chokes down a curse. "What! That's illegal!" the leader only smirks, "Well, if you ain't willing to pay, better start posing for the camera!" he says while pointing to another student with their camera ready. While Mitsuru was trying to think of ways in order to escape this ordeal (and possibly murder this kids in cold blood over the embarrassment they were giving him), he feels Kokoro lightly tug on his sleeve with a small blush on her face.

"I-I, suppose it wouldn't be that bad...Mitsuru kun?" she says with her doe, blue eyes staring straight at his surprised ones. To be honest, at that moment, he was at loss at what to say to the ash blonde, so he nodded robotically before glaring at the snickering students. "I hope you kids are happy with this…" he grumbles sarcastically to the leader's amusement.

"Oh we are, indeed…"

Awkwardly, the two teens look at each other, clueless at what kind of pose they should do since they weren't really familiar with this kind of thing, especially Mitsuru who wasn't interested in love at all. Shyly looking at her agitated classmate, Kokoro tries proposing something, "Um, Mitsuru kun, why don't we try facing each other…" he nods, facing Kokoro and then asks "Then what?" 

"Y-you could try putting your hands on my waist.." Kokoro softly whispers just loud enough for him to hear, and in an instant, his eyes widen at her suggestion. 

"Are you sure about that?" she nods slowly, trying to hide her blushing face. _'looks like I got no choice…'_ taking a deep breath, Mitsuru slowly places his hands on her waist, trying very hard not to focus on how soft she felt underneath his palms. Then, he feels her own arms slowly snake its way to his neck, slightly pulling him closer. "I-is this okay to you?" he hears her ask, quite unsure whether it was a comfortable action for him. 

"m-mhm.." was all Mitsuru could say, finding himself slowly getting entranced by her deep, ocean blue gaze. _'Focus Mitsuru! This is Kokoro san for crying out loud!'_ he mentally scolds himself.

And if he could pour some water all over him now, he would've done it in a heartbeat.

Turning back to the students with an annoyed look plastered on his face, his cold voice comes off even colder as he sneers at them. "What are you waiting for? Go on and take the picture!" 

"Ah, ah..there seems to be something missing…" the leader mockingly puts on a thoughtful expression before clasping his hands together, a big grin on his face.

"You two, put your noses closer to each other!"

"E-eh?!" the both of them exclaim. "U-um...aren't you taking this a little too far?" Kokoro softly reprimands, only to be shushed by the boy. "Don't worry senpai, it's just a little nose touching. One boop and we're good to go!" still, it was highly uncomfortable for her and most probably for Mitsuru as well. 

But before Kokoro could try reasoning out, Mitsuru interrupts her, saying the most surprising thing she has ever heard him say in all her life.

"If that's what you people want, then so be it."

' _I-is he really serious..?'_

Turning to her once more, unintentionally squeezing her waist because of his nerves, Mitsuru tells her seriously, "If we want to get this over with, we'd better follow their stupid orders." sighing, she nods hesitantly. "Okay. I trust in you, Mitsuru kun…" and with that, they both slowly lean into each other with their eyes closed. Once they could feel their noses touching, they both slowly open their eyes, only to be mesmerized by the other's stare. Kokoro finds her heart thumping loudly when she sees how close his face was and how his green eyes seemed to look right into her very core. An unfamiliar tightness seemed to bloom deep within her. Meanwhile, Mitsuru could feel his breath hitch as he takes in every detail of her face. How her cheeks weren't exactly red, but had a pinkish hue coloring it. How her lips seem to part, letting out small puffs of air only he could hear, and her eyes, _oh god her eyes,_ they really were so innocent up close, yet he could feel himself getting overwhelmed just staring at her expressive sapphire orbs.

It almost made time stop.

And stop it did, for them anyway. They seemingly felt so entranced with one another that they only regained their senses when they heard the loud snaps of the camera. Instantly pulling away from each other, they both stare dumbfounded at the juniors who thank them and bid goodbyes, but not before cutting off the tape on their fingers. 

"Oh! You two could have this." the leader smirks, giving them a copy of their pictures. 

When the juniors ultimately leave, both Kokoro and Mitsuru stand a few meters apart from each other, trying their best to calm their raging nerves, when suddenly, Kokoro hears Futoshi call out. "Kokoro chaan!"

Looking up at the seemingly gleeful man, Kokoro says, "Futoshi kun, did you win?"

Grinning, Futoshi brings out a basket of different kinds of bread and presents it to the kind girl, "I won this!" he exclaims proudly before looking at her with a shy blush on his cheeks. "A-also, I'd like to give it to you…" although grateful, Kokoro couldn't help but think she shouldn't get his prize. After all, he was supposed to enjoy his hard work. "Thanks Futoshi kun, but I don't think I'm supposed to receive something you've worked so hard to get…" 

"Nah, it's fine!" Futoshi reassures.

"And why is that?"

Fidgeting with his fingers, Futoshi looks at Kokoro with hopeful eyes, "I-it's because you're my inspiration, Kokoro chan….I- 

Before Futoshi could finish his sentence, he hears someone scoff,

and that someone was Mitsuru.

Completely used with the olive haired man's grouchiness, Futoshi ignores his reaction and instead, he notices Mitsuru's face tinged with a hint of red. "Hey Mitsuru, you okay? You're face looks kinda red." Mitsuru turns away from the chubbier man with his nose up in the air. Crossing his arms, he says, "It's none of your business.." before taking a small peek at the girl beside him, as if telling her to keep quiet. 

"Mou, you're always so stuck up, right Kokoro cha-"just then, Futoshi sees the ash blond blushing with her eyes cast downward. "H-hey, did something happen between the both of you?" he asks, a slightly dreaded feeling weighing on his chest. The two both shake their head in answer in unison.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

* * *

It was already nearing five o clock when Miku had tried finding Zorome who have accompanied her all day playing different kinds of games usually seen at carnivals. After a round of ring hooping, the both of them decided to rest for a while, with Zorome excusing himself to buy some snacks. Feeling famished herself, Miku allowed him to walk around while she rested on a bench, however, it had almost been thirty minutes and her blonde haired friend haven't come up yet. 

Knowing him, he would've come back in just a matter of minutes since he was so used in cutting the line. 

Normally, any girl would've waited a little longer for their companion, but of course, Miku was an exception. Not only was she supposed to be back by six for the concert, but she was born with a lacking for patience.

No wonder she's single.

Not that it bothered her, but anyway, her feet were already starting to hurt after going circles looking for Zorome. At this point, Miku found the situation hopeless. 

"Stupid Zorome...damn him for leaving me like that!" Miku grumbles, and if looks could kill, the first person she'd look at would probably be buried six feet under now.

' _and he just HAD to get my pocket money!'_

Just as she was pouting to herself, Miku suddenly bumps into someone bigger than her, causing her to fall on her butt. Wincing, she turns to scold the offender, but just as she was about to open her mouth, the red head hears a gentle voice speak to her. 

"Oh no miss! Are you okay?" 

Looking up, Miku finds herself staring at eyes as blue as a clear sky and immediately, she feels her cheeks warm up. The man looked older than her for his mature, yet handsome features and had unruly, dark brown hair. Extending out a hand, she shyly reaches for it and lets him pull her upward. Miku notices how tall the handsome guy was, easily towering her with a height she estimates as 5'11. 

"Um...miss?" the boy asks once more, leaning closer with a worried look on his face. Realizing how stupid she might've looked just blankly staring at him, Miku turns away with faux haughtiness. "I'm fine!" 

"Is that so? Well thank goodness!" the boy says with a smile, "I thought you might've hit your head or something.." he chuckles, resulting with Miku burning from embarrassment. "W-what's that supposed to mea-

 _*GROOOOOOWL*_

Miku swears she could die right then and there. First, she bumps into a handsome guy, then now, of all times, her stomach just HAD to rumble in front of said boy. With widened eyes, she frantically tries making up different excuses, actions to which brings the boy to amusement.

To be honest, seeing the redhead all flustered was quite endearing, noting how cute she actually looked, but understandably, the boy knows that she might've been hungry.

' _Maybe that's why she looked so cranky in the first place!'_

Cutting her off with her incoherent ramblings, the blue eyed boy grins, "Hey, you're hungry aren't you? Wanna go for some snacks?" 

Normally, Miku wouldn't go with strangers, but God was she starving and truthfully, the guy seemed pretty nice, plus, he was wearing the school's uniform meaning he was a student here. Nodding shyly, she says "yes." 

* * *

"Can you tell me your name, miss?" the boy says while taking a swig out of his can of sprite. "You seem to come from the lower year, am I correct? Chewing the hot dog he bought her slowly before swallowing, Miku replies, "I'm Miku, and I'm a senior from year 10." 

"Really? Then I'm just ahead of you by a year!" the brunette exclaims with a grin. Laughing, Miku jokes, "So should I call you senpai, then?" The boy cringes, putting out his tongue in playful disgust, "I'd rather you call me by my first name.."

"And you are…?"

Reaching out to her with an open palm, he sends her a smirk that makes her heart skip a beat, "I'm Rokuro." taking his hand, she returns his lop sided smile with a smirk of her own, "Nice to meet you Rokuro kun…" As Rokuro starts to say something, the both of them turn to hear a loud voice calling for the red head.

"OIIII MIKUUUU!"

From afar, Miku could see a familiar ahoge bouncing up and down as the figure approaches her with two sticks of Cotton Candy in his hands. 

"Zorome!" she huffs in frustration. "Where the hell have you been!" Glaring at his friend's hostility, he answers back, "Well excuse me! At least YOU didn't have to wait so long in a line just for cotton candy!" 

"Well who told you to buy cotton candy?!" Zorome snorts, clearly she had no intentions of showing gratitude to him today. _'Ungrateful wench..'_ "Shut up Miku, we both know cotton candy's your favorite…" he murmurs, leaving the redhead caught off guard because if his unintentional sweetness. 

"I…" at loss for words, all Miku could do was sigh before grabbing the cotton candy out of his hand. Hiding her face with the treat, she says, "W-well, although I'm grateful, next time you should use your common sense and find a different booth with a shorter line…"

"FOR GOD SAKE'S WOMAN JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD ALREADY."

"NEVER"

"WHY YOU-" suddenly, the two are hear Rokuro chuckling. Because of this, Miku immediately moves away from Zorome, albeit slightly, causing the blonde boy to look at her in confusion. 

"You two look like siblings.." Rokuro said while smiling at Miku who was pouting over his comment. "Well then, looks like you've got someone to accompany you Miku. I'd better find some of my friends as well…" just as he was about to leave, Miku grabs hold of his sleeve and looks at him with an incredulous look on her slightly red face. "W-wait!" she exclaims before taking a deep breath,

"If you have the time, go and watch our concert for tonight at the open grounds, okay?" momentarily pausing at her request, Rokuro smiles while nodding, "Sure, I'll be looking forward to your performance Miku."

Letting go of his sleeve, Miku shyly sends him a small wave, "Thanks...I'll be expecting you..Rokuro kun.." Once the brunette leaves, Zorome lets out a loud scoff, earning the Miku's attention. Grimacing, she says, "What?" 

"Who was that?" he asks while pointing to the direction Rokuro went. 

"Someone I just met, and is clearly none of your business." somehow, her words felt a little hurtful for Zorome, but as always, he chooses to retort back with a witty response. "Oho, well don't go looking for me once you go all googly eyes over the dude!" 

Miku punches his head, earning her a pained hiss from him. With a small frown adorning her face tinted with pink, she declares with her usual haughtiness,

"Like hell I'd fall in love with him! Anyway, let's go back and prepare for the concert!"


	30. Chapter 28: Xx:Me

"Ugh! Whose idea was it to make these costumes so damn itchy?"\

Miku groans in uncomfort, slipping a finger inside her collar to stretch it a bit. "And it's so hot and stuffy!" she huffs, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, "I swear if this affects our performance, I'll…"

"Instead of complaining, why don't you just keep quiet and focus on the performance?" Ikuno says bluntly, mildly irritated with redhead's babbling and their costume's draftiness as well. In her hand was her electric guitar being tuned by none other than herself. 

Crossing her sleeved arms, Miku lets out a loud 'hmph!' at the freckled girl before her, "Mou! It's not like I can help it! Besides, I AM thinking about the performance, that's why I'm complaining about this crappy costumes!" suddenly, Miku feels a hand on her head seemingly trying to comfort her. Looking up, she sees her friend Kokoro shooting her an assuring smile. 

"Don't worry Miku, I'm sure we'll do great later even in these clothes!" Kokoro chimes happily, making Miku smile at her infectious optimism. 

"You're kind as ever Kokoro…"

Just then, Ichigo enters the room alongside Zero Two, who was wearing a costume far different than the rest of them. The horned girl wore a black cocktail dress with red roses sewed on it, a huge contrast to the white dresses the others wore. Also, she wore fishnet stockings that were slightly ripped, a pair of black combat boots, and a choker that had _'XX:me'_ personally engraved. Not only that, but Zero Two had applied some dark eyeshadow and eyeliner that accentuates her intense, teal orbs and some red lip tint smudged on her lips.

' _She looks absolutely stunning'_ all of the others thought. 

"Zero Two! Nice look you got there!" Miku calls out, complimenting the pinkette while slinging an arm around her shoulders. 

"Thanks." Zero Two replies nonchalantly, looking at Ichigo who had a slightly apprehensive look on her face. Finding it amusing, her lips curl into a slight smirk. Meanwhile, the others had also noticed the bluenette's expression. 

"Ichigo? Is something wrong?" Ikuno asks, clearly worried for her friend. 

"It's because of her…" Ichigo grumbles, pointing at Zero Two. "She was supposed to wear white just like the rest of us, but look!" her voice raises in annoyance, a vein almost popping out her head, "She absolutely ruined it!" 

Zero Two shrugs, "Relaaax prez, it's not like anyone got hurt you know." twirling a bit to show off the modifications she did to her costume, she adds with a hint of mirth in her voice, "Besides, you gotta admit, I look great in black.." 

Ichigo grits her teeth, feeling more exasperated by the second, "Even so...you still have to consider that all of these are just rented!" she says while pointing to her and the others' costumes, "Now how would I explain to the owner _that?"_ her eyes narrow challengingly at the pinkette before her, but before Zero Two could retaliate, Kokoro steps in between them, placing a hand on each of their shoulder.

"Now, now, let's all put these misunderstandings to rest for awhile.." Kokoro tells the both of them in a motherly tone, "For now, we've got to focus on the performance, okay?" shooting a smile at Ichigo and Zero Two, all the two could do was sigh and agree over the gentle girl's words. 

"Kokoro's right, Zero Two..but don't think you'd get away with this after, okay?" Ichigo says with a teasing wink, feeling a bit calmer with the situation. 

"It ain't a big deal anyway...since I plan on paying for the damages in the first place.." Zero Two murmurs, looking away from the girls. 

"Well then! With that settled, let's go and hit the stage!" Miku exclaims enthusiastically, pumping her fist to the sky before turning to Zero Two with a teasing expression embedded on her face. Sauntering slowly over the pinkette, she hooks an arm over her shoulders and lean in to her ear. 

"Ne, I bet Hiro would enjoy your performance with that outfit, don't you think?" Miku whispers just loud enough for Zero Two to hear and is satisfied when she sees the pinkette slightly flush in embarrassment before pushing her lightly. 

"Shut up." Zero Two mutters to which the redhead answers with a giggle. 

"Whatever you say~" Miku drawls out, when she suddenly grabs all the girls into a circle. Grinning, she places her hand in front of them and shouts with determination in her voice, "Best of luck girls! In 3, we say, 'Xx:Me, Fighting!' Infected by the intensity to her words, the others feel the adrenaline coursing through their veins, pumping them up with motivation and excitement. Putting their hands over one another, they yell at the top of their lungs in unison,

"1, 2, 3... Xx:Me FIGHTING!"

* * *

"So, uh, what are we supposed to do with this again?" Zorome asks, examining the pink glow stick in his hand with questioning, amethyst eyes. He and Zorome were already standing within the growing crowd and it the sky was already dimming, slowly revealing the stars that painted the night.

"We wave them in the air when the girls perform!" Futoshi explains with a grin on his face. He held two green glow sticks in each of his hands and had a bandana that had the name 'Kokoro chan!' with a heart written on it. Zorome outwardly cringed over his friend's immense support for the said girl, it almost made him puke just how whipped Futoshi was but he chose remain quiet over it. 

Just then, Zorome spots two figures walking and realizes it was Goro and Hiro. "Oi, you guys, over here!" he calls out, waving towards them to gain their attention, and he succeeds. When the two approach them, Goro and Zorome exchange fist bumps, while Hiro and Futoshi wave to each other. 

"You two seem excited." Goro notes, seeing how early the two were being in the concert grounds, as compared to them. 

"Blame fatty over here." Zorome teases, pointing to Futoshi with a smirk, "He wanted to get a good view of _'kokoro chan'_ " He says Kokoro's name in a nasally tone before sticking his tongue out and patting Futoshi's butt "This guy's ass is whipped for sure!" 

Swatting Zorome's hand, Futoshi burns in embarrassment. "Quit calling me fatty! Besides, you wanted to film Miku's performance up close too, you know!" Futoshi points out, exposing his friend who suddenly chokes over the revelation. Goro and Hiro only laugh at the two's antics. 

"I guess we all just came to support the girls, don't we Hiro?" Goro elbows Hiro, a lopsided grin etched on his lips. 

"..Yeah.." Hiro nods in agreement. Just then, the raven haired boy notices someone missing, and he couldn't help but ask the others, "Hey, where's Mitsuru?" 

"Beats me." Zorome shrugs, "We all know that guy isn't interested in stuff like this. He's probably scowling by himself or something.." 

"Excuse me?" They all hear a cold voice behind them, quickly turning to see the olive haired boy with his hands in his pockets and sporting his usual, aloof expression. 

"Ah, Mitsuru! It's good to see you here.." Hiro greets but is completely ignored by the boy, choosing to walk past him and settle beside Futoshi. "Here to support Ikuno?" Futoshi asks, receiving a mere shrug from the shorter boy. 

"I'm here to criticize her musical performance, as per her request." But truth be told, he had no plans in coming anyway, if it weren't for Kokoro's request for him to watch earlier. 

"Well that's…" Zorome is at loss at what to say over Mitsuru's uptight response, "..So you, I guess?" Just then, Zorome felt someone suddenly shove past him, making him stumble a bit, and of course, being rash as ever, the blonde turns towards the person with the intent of giving them a harsh scolding. "Hey! Watch it, will ya?!" He shouts, but as he looks up, he sees none other but Nana sensei, his long time crush, and in an instant, his hot temper crumbles. 

"N-n-nana Sensei!" He blurts out, panicked he might've given off the wrong impression earlier, "I-I didn't know it was you…" 

Noticing Zorome, Nana smiles. "Ah, Zorome, here to support Miku?" said boy only nods quickly. "Really? That's good to know.." the red headed beauty sighs in relief, before adding, "I'm glad she has someone like you as a best friend…"

Blushing over Nana's compliment, Zorome mutters a small thank you before being elbowed by both Futoshi and Goro, who had teasing smiles on their faces. Glaring at them, the smaller boy grumbles, "Ah, quit it you two.." 

But that doesn't stop him from stealing glances at his teacher from time to time. 

A few moments later, the group spots an old man with a partly mechanical face walk towards Nana, who to their surprise, and Zorome's horror, plants his palm against the teacher's bottom, lightly squeezing it. Letting out a small yelp, Nana jerks away from the assailant, only to see the headmaster eyeing her in amusement. Blushing heavily, she greets the old man and at the same time, reprimands him. 

"D-doctor! M-must you always do that!" she says, shielding her backside away from the geezer. 

"Nana." the doctor starts, "I haven't seen you in ages, but I see you're still as stiff as ever, unlike your-" 

"Please, let's not talk about that!" Nana cuts him off, clearly growing annoyed at the senior's lecherous tendencies, when suddenly, she hears a voice clearly belonging to Zorome yell out to them.

"Nana sensei! Get away from that perverted old freak!" She hears him say running towards her with the others trailing behind him. Glaring at the unabashed doctor, Zorome points a finger at him angrily, before saying, "Ya dirty old scumbag! Who do ya think you are putting a hand on her ass like that?!" he was about to say more until he gets hit on the head by Nana. 

"Zorome! Watch your tone!" Nana scolds him, especially after hearing the boy refer to her bottom as…

' _Mou! No wonder he and my sister fight endlessly!'_

"B-but, Nana sensei..?" Zorome tries reasoning out, but seeing the adult shake her head, he chooses to remain silent. 

"I appreciate your concern but as you see, this person over here would've been sent to the hospital if he was some stranger...and fortunately, he's not." with a headache threatening to form over the course of events, Nana places a hand on her head. Sighing, she looks back once more at the boys in front of her, before motioning to the headmaster with her free hand. 

"Guys, since it seems you haven't known by now, I introduce you to Dr. Werner Frank, the headmaster of this school." 

"E-ehh?!" The boys react simultaneously, shock over how such a peculiar old man was actually the headmaster. Since the doctor didn't usually show himself during ceremonies, opting for his subordinates to represent him, the students were left imagining what the headmaster would look like, envisioning a tall, dignified man in his fifties.

Instead, their expectations were left shattered when the headmaster was revealed to be a short, old man with half his face looking like the terminator, who was an extreme lecher.

Meanwhile, Hiro can't help but think back to the time Zero Two told him her grandfather was the headmaster and had an extreme love for ceramics and the like.

' _T-this man and Zero Two...are related?!'_

His thoughts are cut off when he sees the doctor's scrutinizing gaze shift towards him, causing him to gulp at the sudden pressure building inside his gut. Has Zero Two told him about their _unique_ friendship? Did the old man even approve of someone as weak and pathetic as him? His mind is bombarded with questions that he feels himself growing faint and cold, the world spinning hazily until- 

"Oh, you must be the guy that child's been babbling about." The doctor says nonchalantly to Hiro, receiving surprised gasps from the others, excluding Nana. 

"O-oi, what does he mean by that?" Goro whispers to Hiro, who only stood frozen on the spot. 

"You must be Hiro, am I correct?" the doctor says to which the raven haired boy nods. 

"Y-yes sir, Zero Two had told me about you…" Hiro responds back. 

"Oho, is that so?" faint amusement can be heard from the robotic echo of the doctor's voice. "I bet she told you about my love for ceramics, haven't she?" 

Dumbfounded, Hiro couldn't help but exclaim "H-how did you..?" 

But the doctor ignores his question, and instead, lets out a loud guffaw, making Hiro and the boys cringe at his informal behavior. Once he tones down, the doctor says, "That granddaughter of mine! Always trying to tarnish my reputation!"

"GRANDDAUGHTER?!" The boys exclaim loudly, far more surprised than earlier.

shaking his head over what sort of stories Zero Two could've said about him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride over her performing tonight for the first time. He knew that the pinkette was a bright child with an immense talent for the arts, but she was unable to express herself because of the prejudice and insecurities that came with the red horns on top of her head. He has seen her grow fragile behind the nonchalant mask she wore and it pained him to see her ultimately isolate herself from the world, unable to see its true beauty. 

Most of all, it was excruciating seeing her suffer alone in her endless search of _something_ she has lost a long, long time ago and not be able to help her. 

But now, whenever they get to talk, he could see how the reclusive young lass was slowly beginning to feel and reciprocate warmth the world had to offer; establishing bonds, expressing herself bit by bit, and if possible, finding love once more, he wonders if she has finally found what she was looking for

And from the looks of it, he too believes that by some miracle, she has found it.

Turning towards the group one last time, the doctor gives them a wave, "I'll let you youngsters be for the night. Gotta find a spot where I could watch Zero Two in peace...also, Hiro?" the doctor turns to Hiro one more time, his expression dead serious. 

"Yes, headmaster?" Hiro asks reluctantly.

"Don't let Zero Two near any kitchen, okay?" with that, he turns his back and walks away from the flabbergasted group. Deep inside though, he couldn't help but think back to the meek, raven haired teen who served as a complete opposite to his vibrant, granddaughter.

' _That boy...I wonder if he really was her answer…'_

* * *

A few more moments later, the concert grounds were filled with a lot of people, both students and bystanders coming from other schools. Finally, the stage was colored with vibrant lights of different colors, and with a smoke-filled entrance, came five womanly figures standing confidently on stage. With a certain bluenette grabbing hold of her mic, she yells out to the rumbling crowd, 

"Everyone! We're sorry for keeping you waiting, but we're super happy for the support you've been giving us since day one of preparations!" 

Miku nods at Ichigo's words before yelling out too, "And because of that, we're gonna rock your night away with our awesome performance!" she pumps her fist in the air and winks, causing the crowd, who were also some of her subscribers, to scream louder.

"Let's go Mikuuuu!" Zorome roars at his best friend, waving his glow stick with his hand and holding a video cam with the other.

Next, it was Kokoro's turn to speak up. She addresses the crowd with a sweet voice, "I've seen how everyone has worked so hard for this concert to happen, so as gratitude, please feel free to enjoy this performance, okay?" with just a smile, the men in the crowd almost went crazy, including Futoshi, who was screaming her name the loudest.

"KOKORO CHAAAAN!" He cried out, causing Mitsuru to squint at him, annoyed.

"Also, this concert wouldn't have been made possible if it weren't for our dear president, ne, Ichigo?" Ikuno says, giving the bluenette an endearing smile.

"E-eh, Me?" Ichigo exclaims with a blush on her face. "Well, I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for Ikuno and the others, as well…"

"Do your best Ichigo! Ikuno!" Goro cheers from the crowd.

"Ne, Darling! Do you see me from there? Because of you, I am able to be here, that's why I'm dedicating all these feelings for you!" Zero Two calls out, scanning the crowd before finally seeing Hiro, whose cheeks were stained red. Grinning widely, she proclaims to the crowd, "Found you, my darling~" 

"Ehem," Ichigo intervenes, "A-anyway, let's not stretch things out further, shall we?" Signalling to Ikuno, the bespectacled girl starts the instrumental with her guitar, making the crowd roar out in excitement and anticipation.

In unison, the girls shout,

"This is Xx:Me, now playing: Torikago!"

 ** _through the classroom window, I absentmindedly ask the sky_**

 ** _what's the purpose of my life? I have no idea_**

 ** _things i want to know but don't think myself are all I study_**

 ** _As I realized this, I was losing my own voice_**

 ** _In my textbook's margin, I wrote my ideals_**

 ** _not to do as I'm told, but to have the freedom of a soaring bird_**

 ** _though I showed my dreams, my granted power and ungranted just become bitter_**

 ** _when I can't even decide the length of my skirt or do as I'd like,_**

 ** _where am I?_**

 ** _the voice in my heart answered "you're here."_**

 ** _The sky is beautiful, though._**

* * *

After a few more songs the girls have prepared, the concert had finally come to an end, and individually, they were approached by the boys with a bouquet of flowers as congratulations for the job well done. 

Approaching Kokoro was Futoshi, who not only had flowers, but had a basket of bread hanging from his arm. Grinning sheepishly, he presents it to the flattered girl, "Kokoro chan, you were great out there!"

Smiling at his compliment, Kokoro humbly shakes her head, "This wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for you and the others' support." 

Feeling his heart constrict over Kokoro's genuine kindness, Futoshi couldn't help but gush all over her, "Ah Kokoro chan! You're as kind as ever!" 

Just then, they are approached by a slightly irked Mitsuru, who had just finished talking to Ikuno in private. "I couldn't hear the songs because of you're constant noisiness Futoshi." he reprimands coldy, to which the bigger boy responds by scratching the back of his head in a bashful manner. 

"Mou, I can't help it...Kokoro chan was cute on stage after all…" Futoshi confesses, making Kokoro blush slightly. "Anyways, I gotta go help with packing up. See ya later by the bonfire, Kokoro chan!" he says before heading off with a wave, leaving both Kokoro and Mitsuru alone in silence, and as usual, it is Kokoro who speaks up first. 

"Um, Mitsuru kun, did you enjoy the show?" Kokoro asks, her grip on the bouquet and basket unconsciously tightening in anticipation. 

Pondering on what to say, Mitsuru sighs, "I suppose it can be called a 'success'..." 

"Oh is that so.." Kokoro says, a bit disheartened over the cold response. Glancing over the ash blonde, Mitsuru speaks once more, 

"...you sang great as well, Kokoro san…" he says, hiding the blush threatening to stain his cheeks. 

Perking up at the sudden compliment, Kokoro could feel her chest warm up for an unknown reason yet, she manages to cover up her initial surprise with a grateful smile. 

"Really? That means so much to me!" with her eyes sparkling in happiness, she says, "Thank you, Mitsuru kun.."

And although he couldn't find it in himself to look her in the eye after feeling so different, Mitsuru knew she was brimming with happiness because of what he said and oddly, it felt right.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zorome and Miku were hunched together while watching the performance on Zorome's camera. 

"Kyaaah! I look so cute at that part!" Miku squeals. 

"Psh, yeah, right." Zorome scoffs at his redheaded friend, "You were ABSOLUTELY adorable.." Rolling her eyes, she puts a finger on the boy's lips, shushing him as a result. 

"Hush your dawdling boy! Can't you see I'm watching?" Miku says. "And besides, this would be great for my channel! I'd even credit you for filming it!" she grins at Zorome who smirks at the idea. 

"Ya know, that ain't bad at all." He says to himself, imagining the subscribers he could gain from his friend's shout out. "You really do come up with good ideas at times, eh Miku?" Zorome exclaims, patting the girl's back vigorously. 

"Heh, of course! I'm the smarter one, after all!" the redhead declares proudly, making the blonde grimace, "Yeah right, be grateful you just had a tiring day…" he grumbles to himself when suddenly, a familiar brunette from earlier approaches them.

"Miku!" the man calls out, making the two of them look up.

"Rokuro senpai?" said girl blurts out, making the man ruffle his dark locks and grin boyishly. 

"Ah, I thought you would've forgotten me." he teases lightly, quickly adding before Miku could respond, "Anyways, you were cute on stage." 

"R-really?" Miku blushes with Zorome eyeing her on the side, thinking how weird she was acting. 

Rokuro nods, winking at the reddened maiden, "Yeah, in fact, I came to ask you to join me for tonight's bonfire if it's okay?" Shock over the sudden turn of events, Miku could do nothing but stare dumbfoundedly at Zorome, seemingly asking him what to do. They stare at each other for a long while, with Rokuro feeling a bit awkward just standing there, until Zorome shrugs, as if sending her a mental message to accept the boy's proposal. 

Luckily, Miku gets his message and snaps back out of it as she turns back to Rokuro with an excited smile on her face- after all, it was her first time being asked out by a cute guy, and a senior at that. "Sorry about that senpai, but I'd love to join you later!"

"That's great! In fact, you could join me right now." Rokuro says, offering his arm to her, to which she immediately grabs without a second thought, leaving her best friend alone.

Seeing her retreating form, Zorome thinks to himself how he should be happy for Miku, but truth be told, it kinda bummed him out seeing how his best friend left him without a second thought for some random guy she just met. Pouting, he mutters to himself in disappointment.

"So much for bros before hoes…"

* * *

"Thanks for this Goro.." Ichigo says, clutching the jacket said man brought for her. 

"Don't sweat it." Goro reassures, taking a seat beside the bluenette. "I know how you hate being cold…" he says before rubbing his palms together and placing it on both sides of her cheeks, slightly squishing them. _'Cute..'_ he thinks to himself. 

"Ne Goro, where did Ikuno go off to?" Ichigo manages to say with her cheeks puffed up. "And would you please take your hands off my face now, please?" 

"A-ah, sorry 'bout that." he retracts his hands and places them in his pockets. "Ikuno just went to by some coffee.."

"Coffee huh…" Ichigo murmurs to herself, only to notice Ikuno approaching them with two cups in her hand. "Well speak of the devil, Ikuno came." the bluenette grins at Goro, who was grinning as well. 

"Hey guys, these are for you." Ikuno says handing the cups over to them. 

"Are you sure? How about you then?" Goro asks, reluctantly grabbing the cup since he wasn't sure if Ikuno had already drank some coffee. "Goro's right, Ikuno. It would be unfair for you since you bought this.." Ichigo backs up.

Shaking her head over her friends' concerns, Ikuno chuckles softly, "It's fine. I've already drank mine at the stall.." 

"I completely forgot how you're able to chug down your coffee so fast." Ichigo teases before smiling sweetly, "But that's what makes you 'Ikuno', huh.." blushing, Ikuno looks down to the ground.

' _There are a lot of things that make me who I am..'_

Taking a small sip from her cup, the blazing hot liquid burns her lips, making her hiss in pain. 

"Ichigo!" Goro calls out, instinctively putting a finger upon her lips, making the bluenette blush slightly at the feel of his cool fingertips. "Are you okay?" he asks.

"Y-yeah.." Ichigo whispers, feeling her face burn as hot as the coffee she drank. 

Just then, Ikuno suddenly grabs Ichigo's hands that had the cup in between them and lifts it to her face. "I-Ikuno?" Ichigo asks, confused on what her friend was about to do. "W-what are you…- 

Cutting her off, she feels Ikuno carefully blow on her coffee, her breath fanning across her fingers and face. 

"I-Ikuno?" Ichigo stutters with Goro looking shock as well.

"Shhh, I'm cooling it down for you.." Ikuno whispers as she blows one more time at the piping hot liquid until Ichigo could feel it cool down between her fingertips. Once done, she thanks Ikuno and sips, quietly thinking to herself how lucky she was to have friends concerned for her well-being.

* * *

"Darling!" Zero Two chirps happily, clinging unto Hiro's arm and tightly squeezing it. "Did you like my performance?" she asks, expecting an answer from him to which he responds with a smile and nod. 

"Yeah, you were great back there." He answers honestly, "To be honest, I never thought you knew how to sing…" 

The pinkette pouts, feigning insult, "Did you just underestimate me, darling?" she asks before grinning deviously, pushing up against his arm, "I have you know I could do a LOT of things you'd never dare to imagine…"

Hiro gulps at the innuendo behind her words, "L-like what?"

"Hide a dead body."

"What the-" surprised, Hiro suddenly jerks back and stumbles on his feet. Thanks to her fast reflexes, Zero Two immediately takes hold of his hand and pulls him back with a playful smirk on her lips. 

"I could also do that." she tells him. 

Suddenly, Doctor Frank approaches the two of them. "Zero Two, looks like you're performance was a success. Good job on that." he says to the pinkette, congratulating her. 

"Gramps!" the horned girl exclaims. 

"As a matter of fact, you seemed to be enjoying up there earlier. Mind to explain why?" wiggling his eyebrows, the old man says with a hint of teasing heard in his robotic voice, although this doesn't make Zero Two abashed, instead, she wraps her arms around Hiro and pulls him into an innocent hug, surprising him. 

"I really did enjoyed! And it's all thanks to my darling." she smiles before seemingly remembering something, "Ah gramps! I forgot to tell you. This is him, my darling." Hiro blushes at how she introduces him as her 'darling' so freely. 

The doctor chuckles. "So I've heard. Truth be told, we've kinda crossed paths earlier, haven't we, boy?" Hiro could only make a sound of agreement. "Anyways, Zero Two, an old man like me should be heading off. Meanwhile, you two should go back and enjoy the bonfire." 

"Bonfire?" Zero Two turns to Hiro in inquiry on what her grandfather meant.

"It signals the end of the school festival where we just kinda dance and have fun." Hiro explains. 

"Really? I'm so happy!" Zero Two exclaims, hugging Hiro tightly, to which the latter complains that he couldn't breathe. turning to her grandfather once more, she says, "Ne, gramps, darling and I are about to head back okay? Take care of yourself." 

The doctor nods. "Have fun." 

Grinning, Zero Two lets go of Hiro and instead, clings on his arm once more. "I will gramps. I'll be fine with my darling as long as we're together." with that, the two relatives both say their farewells and head off to the opposite directions, but not before Hiro could hear what the headmaster's last words were for the night.

"Ah young love, it certainly brings back memories, doesn't it Zero Two?"

That night, Hiro was left pondering on what the old man's words meant, especially when he mentioned the word 'love.' Was that the main reason he and Zero Two stuck together? Was that the feeling that erupted in his chest whenever she smiled and held his hand? All this thoughts ran on the back of his mind since then, but for now, he'd rather focus on the enjoying the bonfire for Zero Two.

' _Maybe someday, I'll get my answer.'_

* * *

Hello again! It's been a long time since I've updated huh..college isn't so stressful for now, but I've been kinda adjusting to my new lifestyle in my dorm so I couldn't write so often. Also, org recruitment is starting this week so I hope on joining either a writing guild or I guess, theater so I expect to be kind of busy once I enter them. Anyways, I promise I'll continue this fic till the end so no worries about that! 

Also, I've been receiving reviews about the italicized thing happening in the fic and honestly, I DON'T KNOW WHY EITHER. Whenever I edit them in , they look normal to me, then suddenly, BAM, it's italicized. I get it's gonna be a problem in the future, especially when I incorporate flashbacks, so if anyone out there has encountered the same problem and has fixed it, please let me know and I'll be grateful for your help!

Also, next chapter would be the end of the school festival arc, meaning we're entering a new chapter of the story! (*cough* beach *cough*) Anyways, thanks for all the support and please look forward to the next chapters. Don't forget to Review too!


	31. Omake 3: Serendipity

**Hello Again! Been pretty busy with school, but here's a special chapter focusing once more on our fave dino couple! Also, this chapter marks the end of this story arc. I wonder what events would unfold this time for the squad ehe ehe.**

 **Anyways, on to the story!**

 **(f ever there are italicized parts in this story, just ignore it. thanks)  
**

* * *

The surroundings seems a lot more colorful, for some reason.

No, it wasn't because of the banners, streamers and other festive stuff that decorated the whole school, nor was it the large bonfire situated at the center of the school field and its crackles of red and gold sparks- No, none of this was the reason why everything felt so alive to Hiro, rather, it was because of something else. 

Or maybe, _someone_ else. 

Hiro never found himself being involved with these sort of festivities anyway, especially when he found himself losing interest in school, so everything happening now were so new to him, and strangely, he was enjoying every single moment thanks to the pink haired girl whose fingers were intertwined with his. This intimate action makes his chest pound hardly, and when he turns to take a peek at Zero Two, he is left awestruck as he marvels over her appearance illuminated by the fire's glow. The fiery hues, accompanied with the deep, red color of her horns made her beauty all the more captivating. 

And when her teal eyes meets with his, he feels his cheeks heat up than any other fire present. 

"Darling, you're staring again.." Zero Two points out cheekily, but instead of his usual fussy reaction, Hiro does not bother tearing his eyes away from her. Feeling a blush creep up on her own cheeks, the pinkette asks him

"I-is there something on my face?"

"None at all.." Hiro shakes his head, "It's just...you look kind of..glowing I guess.." he murmurs, finally looking away from Zero Two to hide his embarrassed expression. 

"Is that so.." Zero Two murmurs mischievously, eyes twinkling in amusement before finally dropping the subject for the sake of her darling's heart. "Ne, darling, is this what you really do in a bonfire?" she asks. "I mean, I kinda expected a dance or something." 

Staring at the slowly growing crowd, Hiro answers, "It's because there aren't a lot of people yet." 

A pensive look grows on the horned girl's face, when suddenly, Hiro finds himself being pulled to somewhere else with her natural strength.

"Z-zero Two?" he calls out, quite confused with what she was doing. Besides, wasn't she super excited about the whole bonfire thing a while ago?

* * *

Before he knew it, Hiro found themselves ascending the stairs to the rooftop, the cold air hitting him as they enter the place. Carefully, he looks down and sees the other students all bundled together surrounding the fire. Up on the roof, they all seemed to be like little ants, he thought. Turning back at Zero Two, he sees her teal eyes staring intently at him with an emotion he couldn't quite decypher but made his heart race. Slowly, she walks towards him, her pink locks flying freely in the wind. A moment ago, Hiro thought the vibrant colors the fire tinted her made her exceptionally beautiful, but seeing her lithe, supple form basking in the moonlight seemed to fit her even more. 

Calm and mysterious, like a predator coming in for her prey, which was him. An enigma that continuously mesmerizes him into her will. 

"Zero...Two?" he calls out her name once more, albeit softer than his previous attempt. 

Arms find their way to his neck, pulling him closer than ever. Gently, Zero Two guides his trembling hands to her waist before humming an unrecognizable tune. She sways their bodies slowly, closing her eyes as she feels the rhythmic beating of their hearts. 

They stay like this for awhile, quietly savoring the other's presence, until Zero Two stops and looks up at him with a expression of mirth showing on her face. 

"Enjoying this dance we have, darling?" she asks, her smile widening. "I'm sure I am." 

"But, what about the bonfire? I thought you wanted to experience it…" Hiro asks quietly. 

Momentarily, Zero Two stares at the scene below them. She could see students laughing and just chilling out with their respective groups. She could see Miku hanging out with some dark haired stranger clearly having fun, meanwhile, Zorome and Futoshi were busy making smores and chatting happily. Kokoro sat peacefully beside Mitsuru, who was minding his own business, observing the flames that continuously raged. Ikuno, Goro and Ichigo were seated together, laughing over some stories they shared.

' _They all looked happy…'_ Zero Two thought and now, she too was happy as well.

"It's true I wanted to experience it.." she shrugs, "But it's been a week since we had some time to ourselves! I've been dying without you darling!" 

Hiro chuckles over her over the top reaction. "That would be troublesome…" he mutters under his breath. 

"No it's not.." Zero Two counters, "I'd trade a hundred bonfires and festivals just to have a moment like this with you, darling."

' _Ever since I've found you, there's nothing more I could ask for..'_

With his chest warming up over her intimate declaration, Hiro tries to tell her how he feels the same, but no words escaped his mouth, prompting Zero Two to continue speaking. 

"I enjoy being with you darling, in fact, I'd like to thank you for being the reason why I get to experience all of this. If I hadn't found you, I'd probably still think I'm some good for nothing freak thanks to these horns...but you..you weren't afraid of them, and you even cried for me back then…" 

Smiling fondly, she tightens the hold she has on him, "...Thanks to you..I'm able to live again, so moments like this are precious to me.." Looking up, Zero Two could clearly see Hiro's eyes glassy with unshed tears. Worrying, she places a hand on his cheek.

"Darling?" she asks.

"I.." Hiro chokes back a sob, his tears finally flowing down his reddened cheeks. "It's just...I've never had someone tell me those kind of words, and for some reason, they make my chest feel warm…"

Impulsively, he pulls Zero Two into a hug, eliciting a surprise gasp from the maiden. Burying his face at the crook of her neck, he breathes out a sigh of relief before speaking. 

"I also want to let you know...I feel the same too" he says, "Meeting you has slowly made me change...back then, I felt like I had no purpose in my life- I was better off dead to tell you the truth..but now, I feel more alive, more happier with you by my side. I-it's like, I could do anything if I'm with you.." 

Pulling away from the hug, Hiro lets a small smile form on his lips, "If you'd allow me to, I'd want to be your wings, just like from the Jian's tale…" silence envelops the two of them as Hiro unknowingly proposes indirectly to Zero Two. Suppressing a giggle, Zero Two points a finger at him.

"Y-you do know what you're words are implying right?" she asks.

"Eh?" 

"The Jian bird represents marriage, silly." Zero Two laughs. "You kinda just proposed to me, darling. Well, I hope you wouldn't mind if I ask for a grand we- 

"EHH?!" Hiro cries as his whole face turns into a tomato, amusing Zero Two all the more, "I DIDN'T MEAN IT THAT WAY! I-I..U-UM..A-".his babbling were put to rest when Zero Two places a finger on his lips. 

"Oh calm down, darling! I was just messing with you!" she jokes before staring at him with eyes filled with adoration. "Still, I wouldn't mind you being my wings…"

"Ne, darling, if we're each other's wings, then that means you and I will be together forever okay?"

 _Forever…._

Although forever may seem far-fetched, Hiro couldn't help but smile at the idea. He certainly could see himself with Zero Two in the future, and at this rate, he would see clear to it nothing would set them apart. 

Smiling back at Zero Two, Hiro finds the courage to answer back,

"Forever."

He really liked the sound of that

* * *

 **A/N: PLEASE JUST GET MARRIED AND HAVE DINO BABIES ALREADY.**


	32. Chapter 29: Marigold

"Ugghh.." A short boy with shaggy, dirty blonde hair sticking to his forehead groans, sweat rolling down his reddened cheeks. "Is it getting hot here, or is it just me?" he manages to crack a joke to the red head beside him, who was clearly unimpressed with how her eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed into a straight line.

"It's better you shut up, unless you want my temper to reach boiling point." Miku snaps at Zorome who shrugs his shoulders in response. Releasing a sound of annoyance, the petite girl rolls her sleeves up to her elbows and proceeds to fan herself hardly.

"Mou! I feel like I'm gonna melt!" she wails.

It's been weeks since the school festival, and in no time at all, the group had slowly gotten even closer with Zero Two and after finishing their exams with satisfying results, it was finally time for summer vacation; few weeks away from the stressful atmosphere of the school and a few weeks to enjoy themselves under the heat of the sun- that is, as long as the heat wasn't something that came from fires of hell, and unfortunately, that was the case for the hot and sweaty teens. 

Luckily, it was already after school hours and the group found a nearby convenience store that wasn't too crowded. 

"Here, have this you two." Ikuno says, placing a cold pack on both Miku's and Zorome's heads. "It would be too bothersome for the two of you to fight at this hour." she huffs, feeling a bit humid herself. 

"Thanks, Ikuno!" the two teens say in unison. 

Meanwhile, Mitsuru rids his vest off with a grimace and carefully undoes the buttons to his collar. _'Tch, how inconvenient._ ' he thinks to himself. 

"Here, Mitsuru kun." seeing a hand holding out some canned drink to him, his gaze trails upward to see Kokoro's face lightly shimmering from sweat, her long, wavy hair tied into a ponytail. "It's green tea." she says with a smile. 

Mumbling a quiet 'thanks', the olive haired boy slowly reaches out, his fingers gently grazing hers as he brings the cold drink to his forehead.

 _'Ahh..much better.'_

"Futoshi." Zero Two exclaims, wide eyed. "What's that stuff?" she points to a pastry doused in chocolate in Futoshi's hand, with some cream coming out every time the plump man takes a bite. 

"Hrm?" wiping off the remaining cream off his cheek, Futoshi begins explaining, "Ah this? It's an ice cream puff! Wanna try one, Zero Two?" he grins excitedly, offering an extra puff to the salivating pinkette. Without a second thought, Zero Two grabs the pastry and takes a small bite. Instantly, some cold, vanilla flavored cream invades her tongue, accompanied with the crispness of the puff itself, and the bittersweet chocolate glaze. 

"This is sooo good!" she moans in delight. _'I bet this'll be better with some honey!'_

Futoshi lets out a hearty chuckle, taking a bite from his own cream puff. "Yo, Zero Two, that's the face you make when you plan on smothering something with honey!"

"Really?! Is it that obvious?"

"Mhm!"

Watching the two teens bonding over sweets, Hiro's lips unconsciously turn upwards. his heart warmed whenever Zero Two would revert into some adorable persona whenever she ate something she loved; what bothered him though was the high chance of her developing diabetes over her obsession for anything sweet, maybe it would be good for him to take her to some normal diner sometime to ensure she gets proper nutrients.

Although, he imagines her eyes reverting to a puppy like stare whenever he tries scolding her for her sweet tooth, and honestly, how could he say no to those big, teal eyes?

 _'We're both helpless..'_ he sighs to himself as he looks back to Zero Two, whose cheeks were puffed up happily, until suddenly, he feels a strong arm wrap around his shoulders. Looking up, he sees Goro smirking at him with Ichigo by his side. 

"Looks like you're enjoying the view, ain't ya?" Goro teases, making Hiro blush. 

"T-that's not it" Hiro stutters. "I was just spacing out." 

Rolling his eyes, Goro's smirk grows wider. "Uhuh, tell that to your face." he snickers, pointing at his raven haired friend, "It's red all over." 

"It's 'cause of the heat!" pulling away from his best friend's hold, Hiro looks away and covers his rose colored face, inwardly cursing himself for blushing too easily. Seconds pass when Goro starts speaking once more, albeit, more seriously. 

"Y'know, it's already been months since you and Zero Two had met..." the bespectacled boy began, "to be honest, I never thought she'd get along with our squad!" Goro chuckles, eyeing the horned girl trying to feed Miku some cream puffs. Smiling, he also adds while turning his gaze at Hiro, "Also, it's quite great you're starting to hang out with us again, right, Ichigo?" he faces the blue haired girl who was silently listening.

With a pinkish glow on her cheeks, she nods meekly. 

"Yes." 

Although she always tried to keep her calm at every situation, deep inside, Ichigo's heart soared seeing Hiro slowly include himself in everything he has been a part of before. It made her happy seeing him smile and laugh more freely, but a small part of her ached knowing those smiles were reserved for Zero Two, yet, she acknowledged how big of a help the pinkette was because if it weren't for her, Hiro would still be depressed and withdrawn.

Still, this didn't erase the constant pricking inside her chest and she doesn't know why.

"Ne, Hiro" Ichigo says, his name dripping like honey from her tongue, "since it's summer vacation, I was planning on going to the beach with the gang like old times..." her voice softens at the last part, briefly letting their childhood memories flood her thoughts. She remembers her and Hiro were super close back then, like siblings. She would bury Hiro in the sand, then they'd eat watermelons together and see who could spit the seeds the farthest, and finally at night, they'd walk together hand in hand and watch as the stars twinkled above the night sky.

 _'If only we could do things like that again...'_

"..would you..like to join us..?" Ichigo asks, fists clenching in anticipation. 

"Well..." Hiro wasn't that enthusiastic when it comes to beach stuff unlike before, but then again, he wondered if Zero Two would like to go to the beach as well, and knowing her, she'd be super ecstatic about it with her child-like nature. 

"Is it okay if I bring Zero Two?" Hiro's words sends a pang on Ichigo's chest, yet, she manages to give him a smile. Afterall, Zero Two was already a part of their group. "Of course! I bet she'd be happy to join as well!" she says with forced enthusiasm. 

"Really? That's gr-Ack!" Hiro lets out a small yelp when he feels a body topple over him, to which he soon realizes it was Zero Two enveloping him in a bear hug. 

"Darling!" She exclaims, already feeling the effects of her sugar rush. "Hey, heyy! Try this cream puff! It's reeaaal tasty!" she giggles, holding the dessert near her darling's lips. "Say ahhh~" Zero Two smiles sweetly, making Hiro think nothing could go wrong with just one bite, right?

"A-ahh.." with his mouth slightly open, he feels the pastry graze through his teeth, and with one small bite, he carefully chews while examining its flavors. _'Hmm..it's sweet as expected..'_ he thinks to himself while swallowing the contents inside his mouth, unaware that a smear of chocolate made its way on his cheek, to which Zero Two instantly notices. 

Without any hesitation, Zero Two leans forward and swiftly licks the chocolate off his cheek, making Hiro shiver and redden in embarrassment while Goro and Ichigo, who were there the whole time were slightly blushing after seeing such a bold act coming from the pinkette. 

With Hiro reverting into a bumbling mess, Zero Two finds herself unknowingly licking her lips, "You taste real good, darling." she says nonchalantly before quickly changing the subject, "Anyways, did you like it?" she asks curiously, excited to hear her darling's opinion on her new found favorite dessert. 

Regaining a bit of his senses, Hiro gives off a meek nod while making a soft sound of agreement. 

"Really? Well then, we'll be buying this stuff as much as possible!" Zero Two declares while taking another bite of the cream puff she had previously fed to her darling. Exasperatedly, Goro and Ichigo share the same thoughts watching the pinkette devour her nth piece of sugary sin.

 _'Just how much sugar can this girl take...?'  
_

* * *

As the sun started to set, the group finally part ways with each other; as usual, Zorome and Miku walked together while bickering, Futoshi and Kokoro both went home by themselves, while Mitsuru and Ikuno silently walked side by side. Goro told Hiro to go ahead without him since he'd be escorting Ichigo to her house first, which leaves the dark haired boy alone with Zero Two. 

"Let's go darling!" Zero Two says while grasping on to Hiro's hand. 

Moments passed as they chose to just revel in each other's presence, the silence between them calming, until Hiro starts to speak up. "Um, Zero Two? Don't you feel a bit stuffy with that scarf?" he asks while eyeing the red wool tightly wrapped around her neck; honestly, just seeing her wear that thing in summer makes him feel uncomfortable! 

"Eh, not really." she shrugs, "I'm used to it"

"Is that so..?" Hiro murmurs before smiling at Zero Two. "Seems like it's pretty important to you, huh?" 

With a hand clutching the material's fabric, the pinkette could only hang her head low while murmuring softly, "Yeah..someone precious gave it to me." a small smile of longing makes its way to her rosey lips. 

A heavy feeling dawns upon Hiro as he notices the sudden shift of Zero Two's demeanor. Looking forward, he couldn't help but utter the words that came from the girl walking beside him, "Someone precious huh.." suddenly, a sharp jolt runs through his temples, making him wince in pain as he clutches his head tightly.

 _'T-this is..?'_

Stopping on her tracks, Zero Two glances at her darling worriedly. 

"Darling? You okay?" 

With the pain slowly subsiding, Hiro slowly focuses his gaze at a pair of anxious, teal orbs. "I'm...fine?" he breaths out, slightly dizzy from the sudden attack. 

"You sure?" Hiro nods, "Yeah, it's probably from the heat." he tries reasoning despite his own qualms. He has had headaches before, hell, he was used to feeling pain that almost numbed his whole body, but this, this sensation was new to him. It almost felt like a bullet shot through his head for a brief moment, trying to dig into his innermost thoughts and that scared him. For the first time in a few years, he felt scared for himself and he could see that fear reflected in Zero Two's eyes.

No, he didn't want to burden her; as much as possible, he wouldn't do anything that'll make her worry.

"H-hey, I almost forgot!" Hiro exclaims, trying to distract her, "Ichigo told me about wanting to go to the beach this Saturday!"

"Beach, you say?" Zero Two blinks once, twice, before crossing her arms in deep thought. "It's been years since gramps brought me to one. Kinda miss the sea's saltiness." she snickers." 

"Well, would you like to come with us?" Hiro offers. 

"Me, hang out with you guys?" Zero Two snickers before grinning widely, "what the hell am I even saying? Of course I'd love to go!" seeing Hiro's face light up, she smirks mischievously while wagging her eyebrows, "I bet you'd love to see me in a swimsuit, don't you darling?" she teases. 

"T-that's..!" blood rushes to his face as his mind suddenly races with images of Zero Two in a variety of swimsuits and unfortunately, he couldn't find it in him to deny her accusations. 

With her darling's bashful expression, Zero Two couldn't help but giggle,

"Darling, you're such a pervert!"

* * *

Once she says goodbye to her darling and enters her quiet apartment, Zero Two puts down all her stuff and heads to her bath and prepares the tub with cold and soapy water. _'A cold bath is always a solution for a hot day!'_ stripping off her parts of her clothing one by one, she carefully unwinds her scarf. Holding it at eye level, she examines the slightly worn out parts of the fabric and silently, she decides to repair the loose strands some other time.

 _'Someone special, huh..'_

Thinking back at what her darling said earlier before suffering a sudden headache, she clutches her scarf tightly to her chest. "Till now he..." murmuring, she cuts herself off with a bitter laugh, "Damn it, I'm such an idiot.." taking a deep breath, she swiftly gets out of her clothes and slowly gets in the tub, revelling in the coldness of the water and its slight lavender fragrance. Sinking even deeper in the water, she tells herself,

"Stop expecting. It'll only hurt you in the end.."

 _'And yet, I cling to any kind of hope.'_

drip..drip..

 _'Your kind stare..your gentle voice...your damned smile...'_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

drip..drop..drip..

.

.

.

.

.

.

 _'All of it, I devour without restraint..'_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

SPLASH

.

.

.

.

.

.

 _'Still, it's not enough'_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

"Ah, it's cold."

* * *

Entering her room with freshly worn pajamas, Zero Two instantly flops down her bed and stares blankly at the ceiling, when suddenly, she remembers what Hiro told her earlier. "The beach huh.." she ponders. Earlier, she told him instantly she wanted to go, but now, she wasn't so sure. As someone who wasn't really fond of socializing, she had to admit she has never expected to gain friends, aside from darling, and ultimately enjoy their company, yet a small part of her wanted to hold herself back and go back to being alone. As a previous delinquent, she has gotten used to the constant fear of people, and because of that, she felt oddly at peace with the solitude it granted her. No one bothered getting close to her _and_ her horns, and in return, she didn't have to feel attached to any of them. To Zero Two, they were all just faceless beings that'll ultimately disappear through time. 

But now, no matter how hard she tried distancing herself at first, her darling's friends seemed to crawl their way through her hardened walls. Slowly, she felt herself getting involved with their shenanigans and ultimately enjoying their presence as each day unfolds. Her life now was far from the quiet life she used to live back then; it was exciting and at the same time, frightening. It scared her just how much she has become attached to them and because of that, she knows it'll bring her immense pain once she loses her newfound friends, and of course, her darling. 

Sometimes, Zero Two wonders if it was better for her to have never known them at all...and yet, she absolutely hated that thought. 

So amidst all her complicated feelings, she chooses to just enjoy every moment with them until she goes back to being all alone once more. 

_'Besides, I'm more used to being alone than being with others..'_

 _'But for now, I've decided!'_

"I'm going with darling to the beach!" Zero Two exclaims proudly, before suddenly realizing something. ' _It's been years since my last trip to a beach!'_

"Shit! I got no swimsuit to wear!" she facepalms herself in horror.

 _'Better go ask Miku to help me out..'_


	33. Chapter 30: Sun Kiss

Towels? Check.

Sunblock? Check.

Snacks? Check.

Putting his stuff inside his dark colored backpack, Hiro pauses for a moment to look outside his windows. Most of the time, he made sure all the blinds would be tightly closed, but recently, he found himself yearning for the season's warmth. The sun's rays gently dispersed, bathing him in light that brought a strange giddiness within him.

The beach.

For the first time in a long, long time, he was going to visit the sea along with his friends and Zero Two. Had it been five years, or six? Hiro couldn't even care as he is left imagining how the fine sand would feel beneath his feet, or how the breeze would smell of salt and coconuts, but most especially, how he would spend the whole day with Zero Two. 

He vaguely remembers her mentioning how she too hadn't come to the sea in years. Would her eyes sparkle in excitement once they arrive? Would she hurriedly scamper towards the water, dragging him along and splashing at him excitedly like a child? 

Most importantly, he wonders what color will her swimsuit be and will it be either cute, sexy or bo-

' _Stop right there!'_ Hiro reprimands himself, the color rushing to his cheeks as he tries calming down his raging thoughts.

' _Stop it Hiro! This is all because of the heat!'_

"Y-yeah, this is just the heat getting to me!" he blurts out to nobody. "The heat! The heat!" 

"What about the heat?" 

Letting out a strangled yelp, Hiro turns to see Goro eyeing him weirdly. The blonde man already had his bag slung on his shoulder and was dressed to go. "Ah, Goro!" Hiro says, "What brings you here?" 

"Dude, you've been here for like, half an hour." Goro says, "We've got a bus to catch and we gotta go fetch Zero Two next door!" 

"O-oh, right..I'm sorry…" Hiro quickly packs all the remaining stuff inside his bag and strides towards Goro before shutting the door behind him. "I was just thinking of...stuff.."

Letting out a breathy chuckle, Goro elbows Hiro and sends him a teasing smirk. "Ha! I bet you were thinking of Zero Two in a two piece weren't you?" 

Blushing madly, Hiro looks away from his friend's amused stare. "No, I wasn't!" 

"Yeah, right." Goro scoffs, "I've known you for forever, I practically KNOW you better than yourself!" he says before wiggling his eyebrows. "Besides, I bet Zero Two would look hot in a two p-" 

Taken aback by the sudden shove from Hiro, Goro bites back a smile when his raven haired bro mumbles,

"Stop fantasizing, you pervert."

' _Ah Hiro, I never thought of you as the possessive one'_

* * *

As the two boys exited their apartment, they quickly went to the other next door. Unabashed, Goro knocked hard three times on the mahogany door. From the inside, they could hear faint footsteps until they are suddenly greeted by the appearance of their horned, sakura haired friend. With big, bright eyes, Zero Two greets the two. 

"Hey." 

"Yo." Goro replies, giving a casual wave, while Hiro was standing wide-eyed as he took in Zero Two's appearance. Her bright, pink locks were tied into a high ponytail, exposing the creamy, white skin of her neck. She wore a translucent camisole to which Hiro could trace the curves of her breasts all the way down to her slim waist. Not only that, but she completed her outfit with ripped, denim shorts that fully revealed her shapely and unblemished legs.

Gulping, Hiro couldn't fathom the allure the pinkette possess could increase ten fold during this heated season. 

"Darling?" Zero Two calls out, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You've been spacing out lately. Is everything all right?" 

With Zero Two leaning in to check on him, Hiro notices the supple skin of her chest as she dips down, and as reflex, he blushes and looks away. Unfortunately, Goro immediately notices and smirks. 

"Ah, seems to be the _heat_ causing him to be this light headed." the blonde says in a teasing manner, elbowing Hiro for the second time since this morning. "Aren't I right, Hiro?" he winks. 

Realizing his friend's innuendo, Hiro pouts. "Quit it, man." he says while slapping Goro's hands off of him, earning him a laugh from the man. 

"Aish! Anyway, we should get going." Goro says as soon as he regains composure. "I bet the others are waiting for us at the station." 

Going first, Goro leaves Hiro and Zero Two standing side by side for a moment, when suddenly, Hiro notices Zero Two rummaging for something in her bag till she pulls out a cap. Silently, he watches her gingerly put the cap on her head, adjusting her ponytail to relieve any sort of discomfort. 

"Hey, why are you hiding them?" he asks, pointing at her horns now hidden inside the hat. 

"You know why.." she replies with a sour expression on her face. 

"Yeah, but...we don't mind it a bit, y'know.." Hiro smiles, attempting to comfort the pinkette's worries.

 _Even so…_

Shrugging, Zero Two starts walking past Hiro, who immediately follows. "Still, people would stare at them and that would be a pain in the ass.." turning, towards him, her lips twitch into a small smirk. "Don't worry darling, this is just some precautionary measures on my part. I'll take it off once we arrive at the beach!"

* * *

The bus ride going to the beach went fairly smooth, and luckily, despite it being summer vacation, there was no traffic in sight. 

"That's because we managed to leave early." Ichigo, who was seated next to Ikuno, chimes. "If we left an hour later, we'd probably gotten stuck on the road." peeking over to where Hiro was situated, a small grimace makes its way to her lips as she watches him converse happily with Zero Two, who shamelessly clung to his arm. 

"Ne, Ichigo? Are you okay?" Ikuno calls out, gently tapping the bluenette's shoulder who immediately turn towards her. 

"A-ah, I was just thinking how bothersome it would be getting stuck in traffic…" Ichigo murmurs. 

Meanwhile, Zorome, who sat beside Futoshi, was squirming in excitement. "Looks like someone's getting fired up." Futoshi says, chuckling as his friend continues bouncing up and down in his seat. 

"I just can't help it man!" the smaller one beams, "Now with school over, we got nothin to stress about for two weeks! Aaaand.." Zorome exclaims, wiggling his eyebrows up and down with a mischievous expression embedded on his youthful features, "There's gonna be a ton of hot babes in the beach getting all wet and-

 _SMACK_

Groaning in pain, Zorome cradles his aching head and looks up to see Miku glaring at him. As a response, he glares as well, the tension building around them. 

"What was that for, you damned woman?!" 

"Well! A pervert like you deserves ten times more pain than that!" the red head growls beside Kokoro, who was trying to calm her down. 

"Now, now, Miku, I think it's better if you- 

"Who ya calling a pervert!" Zorome cuts off, standing from his seat and headbutting Miku. "Besides, what're you getting all mad about? There's no way in hell am I gonna look at you in that way!" 

"Ah so now you're implying I'm ugly aren't you?" Miku sneers. 

"Well aren't you sharp?" the blonde retorts sarcastically, earning him another punch in the head by the woman. As a result, the two continued bickering over the remainder of the trip, ignoring the pleas of their seatmates or the annoyed stares from the others. 

"Looks like this is gonna be a loooong trip." Goro sighs with Mitsuru nodding gingerly in agreement.

* * *

"Wow…." Once they finally got out of the bus, thankfully with the bickering couple unscathed, the group is mesmerized as their feet crunches on the powdery white sand and with the turquoise waters as clear as crystal gently crashing down the shores, leaving trails of foamy white bubbles. 

"It's the sea!" Zorome cries out happily as he marches towards the shore in his little floatie with Futoshi trailing behind with the same amount of joy. In an instant, the two were now knee deep in the water, splashing in all directions as the rest watched them. 

"Mou! How childish.." Miku pouts, her hands situated on her petite waist. "Just because it's summer break doesn't mean you can get carried away.." 

"It's fine." Kokoro smiles while watching Zorome dunk Futoshi's head in the water. Chuckling, she adds "It's been years since we got to go together, after all." 

"Mm." Ikuno nods. Scanning the area, she notes how the beach didn't seem to be crowded, aside from them, there were a few others who kept to themselves, to which most seemed to be foreigners. "It's amazing though, this place seems to be much more preserved than the other beaches I know…" true to her words, the last time she went to the beach with her family, it felt more like being stuck in a can of sardines rather in some summer paradise. 

Ikuno shivers at that experience. 

"Oi! Don't go too far out!" Goro calls out loudly before turning to see Ichigo smiling beside him. "Oh Ichigo, you okay with this?" he asks. Before summer break started, the council was tasked to organize the upcoming field trip of the whole senior high body, that's why Goro knew how stressful this would be for the bluenette as president. How she could even propose a beach trip was something he never expected to hear from her. 

"Hm?" Ichigo looks up at him with her soft green eyes and smiles. "What do you mean..?" 

"Well y'know..about the plans for the fieldtrip and such.." Goro mumbles while scratching the back of his head. 

"Ah, well there's that.." she shrugs, followed by a smile that quickly mesmerizes the taller boy. "Well there's no helping it since, after all, we're part of the council..but since we're here.." grinning at Goro, she continues, "-it's better if we just enjoy ourselves for today.." 

"Ichigo.." Goro mutters under his breath, but just as he was about to say something further, he notices how Ichigo's gaze instantly shifts to a certain couple running towards the waters. 

"Darling! Over here!" Zero Two said with an enthusiasm akin to a child, all while she dragged Hiro by the hand as they ran closer to the salty water. Hiro, who was trying his best not to trip due to the pinkette's quick pace, huffed nervously.

"Zero Two! Don't hurry too much" he reminds her through short pants, although, she paid no heed to his words and instead, giggled in amusement. 

"Silly darling, it's the beach! We're supposed to have fun." she grins at Hiro, savoring the sudden hit of the cold waters to her summer kissed skin, while the raven haired boy, unaware that they have entered the sea, was left in awe over the horned girl's dashing grin. It was different from all the other lopsided grins she made that were full of mischief, this time, her smile seemed to shine with pure unadulterated happiness that could rival the sun at that moment. Hiro wonders why her smile was making his heart race even faster than the other times he was with her.

' _This is probably due to the heat.'_ once again, this excuse runs through his mind.

Meanwhile, unknown to the two, the others were silently observing them. They knew how Hiro and Zero Two have gotten closer in just a couple of months, but it was a first time for them to see Hiro look so carefree and just, happy, in a very long time. Seeing him laugh and play with Zero Two in the water from afar made all of them think that, perhaps, the child full of wonder may still be inside their raven haired friend after all.

And because of that, a simple happiness fueled by hope bubbled deep within themselves.

"I'm glad Hiro's okay now.." Kokoro says to the others with a smile.

"Yeah, I really thought he was really a goner." Miku replies. "Honestly, it was such a pain to see him look as if he was better off dead!" with the red head's words, something in Goro snapped as he recounts all the times he saw his friend engage in his suicidal tendencies; each moment made his blood ran cold and his stomach hurt, and even now, he wishes to tell everyone the truth yet, bound to Hiro's promise, the words can't seem to escape his lips. An overwhelming feeling of guilt follows him every time, yet, there was a small part of him that didn't want to worry any of his friends. 

But still, he wonders what would happen if Ichigo knew Hiro's secret. 

And based on her pensive look, he wonders if she'd ever take it well. 

"Ichigo? Are you okay?" Goro manages to ask the petite girl who turns to him with a smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes. 

' _Is she..?'_

"-Of course..what made you think otherwise?" she counters. 

"It's just that..you look a bit glum.." he comments while pointing at her. Scratching the back if his head, he adds in a hushed tone so she wouldn't hear, "...I hate it when you look sad.." he blushes at the boldness of his own words.

But unfortunately, just as he planned, Ichigo didn't hear any of it. _'I know it's embarrassing but...what if she really did hear it?'_ his heart races faster at the thought. 

"Oh..it's just..I was thinking of things.." Ichigo says. 

"What things?" 

"Well…" Ichigo pauses for a moment, thinking of what to say, before continuing, "I've had my misgivings of Zero Two in the past, and to be honest, I've still got my eye on her for Hiro's sake, but...with just one look of them together, I know that she is what he really needs.." 

Smiling, she tells the man beside her, "And because of that-

 _It hurts_

"-I'm happy "

They both stand quiet for a moment, just watching the waves crash against the shore until both Kokoro and Miku approach Ichigo with a beach ball in their hands. 

"Yo Ichigo! Wanna play ball with us?" Miku grins, twirling the ball on her fingers with surprising expertise.

"It'll be fun!" Kokoro adds with an excited giggle. 

Stopping for a moment to contemplate on the offer, Ichigo then turns her head to look at Goro with a stare filled with contemplation, and as if he could fully understand what she was trying to relay, the tall man sighs before gently messing Ichigo's short blue locks with a boyish grin plastered on his face. "You do what you wanna do." was all he said before slowly walking away from the three girls. 

"Where are you going?" Ichigo asks. 

"Hmm..I'm gonna join Futoshi and Zorome for a bit." he grins before jogging towards the sea. 

"Well there goes Goro." Miku says before turning once more to Ichigo, to whom she passes the ball swiftly "Whaddya say Ichigo?" 

Passing the ball back to the redhead, Ichigo waves at them with an apologetic smile. "It's getting quite hot and I think it's better if I get some shade. You two play without me." turning to one another, Miku and Kokoro share a glance before simultaneously shrugging. 

"You sure, Ichigo?" Kokoro asks the bluenette who smiles reassuringly at the kind girl. 

"Yeah, sorry bout that." 

Sighing, Miku shrugs once more as she stares at the retreating form of her classmate. Once Ichigo was out of sight, she mutters silently to herself with a huff,

"Mou, that girl's still so uptight!"

* * *

Meanwhile, all while the others were busy frolicking under the glaring sunlight, Ikuno sat alone under her beach parasol with a pensive look on her face. In her hand was a pocket book covered in a leather dyed in lavender and decorated with tiny drawings of lilies. She'd bought it one time from a book sale while on the way home from school then immediately started reading it, and up until know, she couldn't get her eyes off from the pages. 

' _Just one more chapter.'_ was a lie she'd tell herself while she absent mindedly skims through the pages. For a small pocketbook, it sure had an ample amount of pages! 

To others, it might seem quite weird to spend your summer time on a beach reading some kind of book, but for Ikuno, it was a normal thing for her. It wasn't because she didn't like mingling with others, but she really didn't like staying under the sun for too long. Even under her parasol, she could still feel the intense heat making her feel woozy and faint.

' _If only there was something to drink…'_

"Here."

Suddenly, Ikuno feels something cold pressed against her cheek and out of reflex, she jerks back to see Ichigo standing above her with a curious expression. Her bright green eyes full of ample concern and wonder staring straight at her made Ikuno feel all the more light headed, but in a good way of some sort; and to think that her best friend would actually take the time to approach her amidst her _boring_ activities made her heart thump wildly in happiness. 

"I-Ichigo..!" she stutters, still taken aback from the bluenette's sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?" 

Crouching beside the bespectacled woman, Ichigo silently passes the water bottle before saying, "It was getting quite a bit hot and I knew you don't fare well with heat." stretching her arms, she looks back at Ikuno with a bemused grin adorning her lips. "Besides, I hate it when it gets super hot, too." 

"Is that so…" looking down at Ichigo's water bottle with a small, contented, smile; slowly, she puts it closer to her lips and relishes the cold feeling passing down her throat, yet oddly, she felt quite warm knowing it came from Ichigo.

' _And to think she drinks from this as well!'_

Fully quenching her thirst, Ikuno hands the bottle back to ichigo. "Thanks. You're a _real_ lifesaver." she decides to say, making Ichigo chuckle. _'Ah, she really does look cuter when she laughs…'_ Ikuno thought, in return, making her cheeks heat up.

' _I shouldn't be thinking about that..!'_

Thankfully, Ichigo haven't noticed the burning crimson of Ikuno's cheeks, and just waves off the other girl's comment with a smirk. "Yeah, yeah, I know that by now.." She jokes before noticing the small book sitting on Ikuno's lap. "Yo, by the way, what are you reading?" she asks, curiously trying to peek at the pages, which Ikuno instantly hides with a nervous chuckle. 

"Ahaha, this?" she points to her book, "I...um..w-well." Ikuno fidgets uncomfortably, clearly unsure what to tell Ichigo.

' _If I tell her what I'm reading..she might think it's gross!'_

"-well if what you're reading makes you happy, then I guess the premise shouldn't really matter, right?" Ichigo says, noticing the sudden change of her friend's usually calm demeanor. "Don't worry, if it bothers you, I won't ask again- 

"-it's about...loving someone with the same gender.." Ikuno whispers, something Ichigo couldn't quite fully hear. 

"I..beg your pardon?" 

"It's about a duchess falling in love with a maiden then starting a _scandalous_ affair.." she says with more detail. "..the story revolves with them trying to battle society's prejudice against them.." 

"Really?" Ichigo exclaims. 

"Yeah...and I know it isn't the typical love story women should be reading about, and I'm sorry if you think it's weird of me to indulge in this sort of thing, b-but it isn't what it looks like! I-I just think the duchess has a great character outline, a-and it's not just with her relationship with the maiden, but it's also because-

Cut off by Ichigo's short giggle, Ikuno quickly shuts her mouth and reddens in embarrassment. _'Darn, I said too much..'_

Wiping a stray tear from her eye, Ichigo grins teasingly at her companion while lightly patting her head. "I see you still ramble when you get nervous, huh Ikuno?" 

"T-that's…!"

"It's cute." Ichigo adds. With a fond smile starting to show on her face, she tells the dark haired lady, "Besides, I'm glad you have something you're so passionate about. I absolutely love this side of you Ikuno." 

"L-love..?" Ikuno echoes back softly, her chest filling up with loads of feelings she couldn't distinguish all at once; it felt like it'll burst at that moment just because of one four letter word. ' _Ichigo..loves me..?'_ she thinks over and over like a broken record, until Ichigo suddenly interrupts, voice shaking in embarrassment.

"O-oh! Not that kind of love!" the bluenette frantically explains, "I love you as my friend and I don't want you thinking about it the wrong way by the way!" Ikuno knew Ichigo didn't mean no harm with her words, in fact, she should've known Ichigo didn't imply anything at all, and yet..

' _And yet…'_

Why is that she couldn't control how her hands trembled as she closed her book, or how her shoulders subtly drooped and her lips trying to force a smile. Most importantly, Ikuno couldn't help but feel her heart sink and her whole body feel cold even if it was summer. She should've known better.. 

Sighing, she puts on a smile and continues chatting with Ichigo as if nothing had affected her, for as long as they had to be friends, she knew just how impossible things would be for her

' _this…...I'm so hopeless…'_

* * *

"Here I go!" Kokoro shouts from the other side as she tosses the ball to Miku, who quickly receives it, passing the ball back to the blonde. 

"Bring it!" the redhead exclaims, letting out a high squeak as the ball hits her arms once more.

Meanwhile, as the two girls play beach volleyball by themselves, in the waters were both Futoshi and Zorome, who were unknowingly spying on them with slightly red cheeks. Placing both his hands above his eyes to shield them from the sun, the smaller male manages to sneak another peek at Miku, whose back was facing towards them. 

"For some reason…" Zorome mumbles, his eyes unconsciously travelling lower from the redhead's back, "the girls look 50% cuter…" 

Futoshi makes a sound of agreement, his gaze locked on Kokoro. "Gotta love the beach, huh?"

"This certainly is a sight for sore eyes, don't you think?" The two boys look in surprise as they turn their heads to Goro, who casually leaned on Zorome's floatie. Noticing their questioning stares, he feels discomfort build inside him, making him back away defensively for no apparent reason at all.

"W-what?" Goro asks, confused. 

"Bro, never thought you had that kind of side.." Zorome says, further adding, "I always saw you as some goody two shoe, guess I'm wrong with that one." he snickers. 

"Yeah! So you're one of us too, eh, Goro?" Futoshi grins, making Goro flush over the two's thoughts about him. _'What the hell were they thinking?!'_

"O-of...course!" he bellows, pounding his fist to his chest to further emphasize his masculinity, "I'm a man too, you know!" 

"Well if that's the case.." Zorome says, a devious look painted across his face.

"Tits or Ass?"

Futoshi, and especially Goro, chokes at the scandalous question asked by the dirty blonde casually chilling in his inflatable. Trying to suppress the growing redness in his cheeks, Goro manages to stutter a response; "I-it's none of your business…." 

"Nonsense!" Zorome roars, his sudden movements causing water to splash all over the two. "We men are classified by either those who loves- 

Fortunately, Futoshi clamps his hand onto the brash one's mouth, albeit with more force than intended. Facing Goro, he lets out a nervous chuckle. "Never mind this boy, Goro. What he said isn't true!" 

"Shlik Helsh ish ishn't! _(Like hell it isn't!)_ " Zorome's words come out muffled due to Futoshi's hand clamping his mouth shut. 

"Anyway.." Futoshi clears his throat, "Y'know, with your good looks, brains, and overall reputation, I'm surprised you haven't even dated yet." he exclaims, eyes wide with disbelief. "I mean, you've got a whole bunch of girls sending you love letters all the time!" 

"Well…" Goro chuckles nervously before answering. "Honestly, I don't even know why girls like me..and besides…" for a moment, he lets his eyes wander over to where a certain petite girl with short blue hair was. Immediately, his chest grows warm and his eyes soften seeing her look all loose and genuinely happy talking to Ikuno. For him, he believed Ichigo truly deserved a break from all the council work placed on her shoulders, yet nevertheless, he knew just how amazing she was with how she could efficiently balance her work and studies, while maintaining her own kindness and humility.

' _-Besides...I'm perfectly fine with just being by her side…'_

"Besides...?" bringing him back from his thoughts, Futoshi curiously leans over him slightly. 

"Um..ah.." At loss for words, the bespectacled man gulps about one or two times before coming up with a different reason. 

"I'm too focused with council work. That's all." 

"Maaan, I'm so freaking jealous!" now free from Futoshi's grasp, Zorome lets out a groan in frustration. "How come you, Mitsuru, and even fatty- 

"Hey!" Futoshi huffs in annoyance. 

"-over here got some chicks following yer' asses? Hell, I'm the most handsome one around here, yet no one seems to fall for my awesomeness!" Zorome declares proudly before deeply sighing. "Jeez, I almost feel completely sorry for the girls...they don't know what they're missing!" just then, he notices a flash of black and pink pass by them. Recognizing who they were, this made Zorome even more frustrated. 

"Damn, even Hiro getting some…" he murmurs in annoyance, looking over to see Hiro following Zero Two, who was floating on her back. 

With intentions of following them, he, and the other two are suddenly alerted by a shrill cry most probably coming from Kokoro and Miku. Turning towards their direction to see if they were okay, the boys were pleasantly surprised to see the two girls in a...provocative situation..

Moaning in pain, Miku toppled over Kokoro, both of their bikinis slowly slipping off their shoulders; their womanly parts nearly rubbing together. 

"Are you okay?" Kokoro asks. 

"I-I think so.." Miku responds while thinking to herself, _'I bet this is Zorome's doing…'_

' _I could sense his stupidity all the way from here, And it caught me off guard!'_

Unknowingly to her, the strings of her top were starting to come off loose, until Kokoro points it out, panic written all across her beautiful face. "Miku! Your top!" 

"Ehhh?!" the redhead exclaims, panicking as well; her sudden movements making her top loosen even more. In a futile attempt, she tries covering herself with Kokoro trying to assist her. 

"Stop moving too much, Miku, it'll come off completely.." Kokoro tries saying, but unfortunately, it was too late for the other girl, whose strings have finally come undone, and instead of running to the nearest hiding spot to fix it, out of sheer panic, Miku desperately clings to Kokoro in a tight hug and lets out a shrill cry. 

"Kyaaaah! My bikini top!" Miku screams against Kokoro's neck. 

"M-mikuu...i-it tickles…" the blonde shivers.

Meanwhile, after witnessing the whole scene from afar, the three boys all huddled together with their noses bleeding, yet faces lit up in pure euphoria. All together, they shout,

"LONG LIVE THE BEACH!"

* * *

"Hey, don't swim too far…" with his steps heavier in water, Hiro tries reaching out to Zero Two who seemed to be more relaxed than usual. On her back as she slowly floated, her long pink hair was spread along the tides, creating the impression of a sakura colored veil. "Zero Two…" he calls out for her, and this time, she responds by abruptly standing up from her previous position, her back facing him. Slowly lifting her arm to her face, Zero Two gives herself a small lick, her face contorting into a thoughtful expression. 

"It really DOES taste salty.." she mutters to herself. _"_ It's been a long time, huh…" 

' _Ne, when summer comes, let's go visit the sea, okay?'_

' _The..sea?'_

' _Yeah! We'll swim lots and lots till we grow tired!'_

' _But, what if i drown? I dunno how to swim…'_

' _Then I'll come save you!'_

Smiling to herself, Zero Two twirls gracefully to face Hiro with a toothy grin plastered on her rose colored lips. Happily, she exclaims, 

"It's the real deal this time, eh, darling?" 

Confronted once more with Zero Two's cheerfulness, a warm feeling spreads across Hiro's chest, and once he realizes how the girl before him was wearing nothing but a red two piece that barely covered her assets, his heart beats loudly as a drum. Embarrassed, Hiro looks away from the horned lass and this doesn't go unnoticed by Zero Two. 

"Darling?" she asks, confused at his sudden bashfulness. 

With his throat dry, Hiro gulps before answering in a stutter, "S-sorry..i-it's just..you're swimsuit.." 

"Is it weird?" 

"N-no!" he exclaims, trying to clear any misunderstanding Zero Two might have, "It's not weird at all...in fact, you look great.." blushing deeply, he adds softly "I just can't seem to look you on the eye.." 

Zero Two chuckles lightly, "Oh is that so? Then I guess I should take it off then.." she teases, resulting in Hiro turning as red as a tomato. 

"NO, THAT'S NOT IT..!" Just then, he feels Zero Two's finger pressed against his lips, and he shivers at the touch. Slowly, she speaks in one of the most gentle of tones he has ever heard from her. 

"Y'know, back then, the real reason why we don't often go to beaches before was cause I hated the sea…" she says with a hint of sadness evident in her voice as she cups some water in her hands. "But thanks to you, I'm able to be here.." then, wading closer towards Hiro, Zero Two places a hand on his chest, revelling in the rhythm of his heartbeat. 

"You're my wings, right? With you, I could fly anywhere I want…"

' _You and me, we'll explore the world someday, together!'_

' _Really? You mean it?'_

' _Yep! I promise we'll be together…_

"Say, darling, we'll always be together right..?" 

"Forever" he says.

 _Forever._

Overcome with a happiness she couldn't contain, Zero Two's arms snake its way towards Hiro's neck, pulling him closer till their noses touch. Staring at the intensity of her teal orbs, Hiro could feel every part of his body tingle in anticipation, more so when he sees her starting to lean in. 

In short pants, he stutters her name. _'Is she going to kiss me..?'_

Remembering the softness of her lips against his, Hiro unconsciously finds himself leaning in with his eyes closed. Any closer now, and he knew they were about to-

 _LICK_

' _Eh..?'_

For a moment, he couldn't quite comprehend what she just did until she lets go of him laughing hard. Instinctively, he puts a hand on the spot where she licked him and flushes deeply in embarrassment. 

"You're taste really does make my heart race, darling!" Zero two half jokes, half compliments him. In truth, she really did like his taste, even more with how the saltiness of the sea mixes in perfectly. Before Hiro could argue, she puts her finger on his lips again, a teasing smirk settled on her smug face. "You were expecting a kiss, weren't you?" she teases, causing the blushing boy to look away. 

Pulling away, Zero Two smiles as she begins lecturing him about certain concepts. "A kiss is supposed to be a declaration that a person belongs to you!" she exclaims in a matter-of-fact kind of tone. "That's why, you should only kiss the person you love!" 

"Love? Kiss?" In his mind, thousands- no, millions of thoughts were making him severely puzzled. With what Zero Two just said, Hiro wonders if she was implying something. A thought hits him hard and slowly, he realizes one possible reason why she kissed him before. 

' _Don't tell me...is Zero Two ACTUALLY in love with me..?!'_ but before Hiro could question her, he feels something grab hold on to his ankle, and with a forceful yank, he finds himself being dragged underwater without any warning, leaving Zero Two all alone confused with what just happened. 

"...Darling?"

* * *

"-and then, since we haven't gotten more models for the festival's promotion, Goro actually cross dressed for the council?" Ichigo laughs while telling Ikuno the wildest things the council has ever done. Amused, Ikuno finds herself trying to stifle a laugh. 

"So...does that mean the tall, blonde girl in the posters was actually Goro?" she asks, barely containing her laughter. 

"Yup! You should've seen his face after the photoshoot!" Together, they both giggle loudly at the image of Goro looking all sullen with his masculinity trampled on. For Ikuno, the book she was reading earlier has long been forgotten because of Ichigo's presence, and for her, she was absolutely satisfies just being by the bluenette's side. 

If possible, she would like to spend a whole day with just the two of them together telling jokes and sharing stories.

' _Still...I don't want to keep Ichigo from having fun..'_ she thinks sadly as she glances at the other girl staring longingly at the ocean.

"Ichigo, would you like to swim? I know just how much you love being in the water." she smiles. 

"E-eh?!" the bluenette exclaims, surprised, before gazing at Ikuno with worry. "But..how about you, Ikuno? I'm not sure if I could leave you here." she mumbles, only to be waven off by Ikuno, herself." 

"Relax. I'm fine" she reassures with a grin. "Besides, I've got this book I'd love to finish. You can go ahead." 

"You sure?" Ichigo asks once more and she nods.

"Affirmative."

Although she was still contemplative whether to leave Ikuno alone, Ichigo guessed that the girl wanted to have some alone time, so, she decided to go have a little dip in the water. Besides, Ikuno was right, she really did love swimming. It was an outlet of hers whenever she was super stressed with school. Jogging away, she stops to turn back at her friend and grins happily. "Thanks, Ikuno!" Ichigo says, and with that, she ultimately leaves her friend under the parasol. Ikuno smiles, but deep down, she wished she could've hung out with Ichigo for a little longer; rather, she is back to grabbing her book and reading whatever contents may be left. Unknown to her, her cousin approaches her with a questioning glare.

"You came all this way just to read?" Ikuno looks up to see Mitsuru staring right back at her.

Deadpan, she answers, "Forcing myself to frolic around doesn't sit well with me." even if they were cousins, they didn't really get along with each other; in fact, right at that moment, Ikuno could feel the air around them grow intense until Mitsuru shrugs. 

"Can't argue with that." he sighs before noticing Zorome, Futoshi and even Goro dragging Hiro to God knows where. To him, underneath the annoyance he felt whenever the raven haired teen was around, he found himself growing curious with what may unfold, now that Hiro was starting to incorporate himself back into the group. 

"Isn't it great?" he blurts out. "The guy who looked like he wanted to die not too long ago...is now part of the group again.." Ikuno merely rolls her eyes, a trait the two seemingly both share. 

"Please don't look to me for affirmation." she tells him bluntly before looking away, "I'm not like you." 

"Hm?" Mitsuru turns to his cousin and smirks. "Oh, sorry. I was merely talking to myself." he says before walking away from Ikuno. _'Maybe I should go and explore this island for a bit.'_ he thinks to himself as he wasn't the type to join any kind of shenanigans.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Miku and Kokoro were resting under a coconut tree, the blonde woman notices Mitsuru going off to some place by himself. Worried, and slightly curious with what he's up too, Kokoro decides to follow him. 

"Hey, Miku? I'll be going to the restroom for a while, okay?" she excuses herself and sets off to where the stoic boy went, which to her surprise, was a part of the island hidden by a pair of giant boulders. The opening was narrow, so she had to squeeze herself with all her strength to get pass. Once she does, Kokoro notices this part of the island was surrounded by forest trees covered in thick moss. As she further scans the area to see if Mitsuru was there, Kokoro sees a staircase leading up to something unknown. Despite her initial reluctance, she decides to go up and see whatever lies at the end. When she does, however, she is greeted by an abandoned town with a large temple situated at the center. 

Sweat dropping, she tells herself;

"What...is this place?"

* * *

Hello again everyone! Sorry I was pretty inactive these days. We just had like, tons of quizzes for the past week and next week will be our preliminary exams :( (College is an ass) Anyways, I've found out that once you use the Fanfic app, the whole document wouldn't be italicized so, yay for us! (Although I'm not sure if that's the case for some of you...)

Well, as always, Please look forward for the next chapter and leave a review! Thanks!


	34. Chapter 31: Stargazer

_THUD_

"Ack!" Hiro yelps in slight pain as he is thrown to the ground by the boys. Gulping, he notes the intensity of their stares pointed towards him are giving him shivers. _'It's like they're here to kill me!"_ he thinks to himself, trying to grasp hold of the situation. "Um, guys? Did I do anything wro- 

"What did you two mean by kiss?" 

"HA?" with the sudden perplexity rising from Zorome's interrogation, Hiro could feel the burn rising to his cheeks as he mentally cursed them for eavesdropping on his and Zero Two's conversation. Right now, he doesn't know if he has the courage to speak about it, as if it was some taboo subject not meant to be spoken about so he tries feigning ignorance, "What...do you mean by that?"

Unfortunately, this doesn't budge the smaller guy, instead, Hiro gets cornered by Zorome with an annoyed expression.

"Cut the bullshit, dude! We all heard you and Zero Two talking about kissing!" Zorome says. 

"Yeah!" Futoshi agrees with a dream like look etched on his face. With hands clasped together, he exclaims further, "Ahh~ just hearing it makes me feel all mushy on the inside!" 

' _Well that is true…'_ Hiro agrees to himself, but quickly berates his own thoughts. _'Now's not the time to be thinking of such!'_

' _I gotta run. Quick!"_

But how could he if he was cornered by two rowdy boys- _'Oh wait, Goro's here!'_ Hiro realizes, crooning his neck in order to see his best friend more clearly. "G-goro!" he calls out. "Help me out, would you?" however, to his surprise, and utter horror, Goro had a serious glint in his eye and said as well, 

"Have you two kiss?"

' _TRAITOR'_ Hiro's mind screamed.

* * *

"So, have you?" Futoshi asks, this time a bit gentler. 

Knowing that refuting was not an option, (Why in the world would they even eavesdrop anyway?!) Hiro lets out a deep sigh and nods slowly. "Y-yeah…" 

The boys were rendered speechless with Hiro's sudden revelation, making the dark haired teen redden in embarrassment. It was only when Zorome exploded did the awkward silence finally end. "W-W-WAIT! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME LEGIT KISSED?!" The dirty blonde yells, pointing an accusatory finger at the man in question. Never in his whole life would he expect Hiro, the child prodigy, goody two shoes turned emo boy, score a kiss from a girl- most especially from someone as hot as Zero Two! _'Damnit! This guy keeps winning!'_ he sighs in frustration before looking back at Hiro, who was already a blushing mess.

"Man, you really are one lucky son of a bitch, aren't you?" Zorome grumbles under his breath just loud for himself to hear; no way was he gonna say that out loud!

Meanwhile, Futoshi excitedly comes closer to the rave haired teen, heart fluttering over the concept of a 'kiss'. "Hey! How does kissing feel like?" he asks as he has never, in his 16 years of existence, been able to kiss someone, and knowing that one of his friends managed to steal one, makes Futoshi feel all jittery within the pits of his stomach. "Ahhh~ Just thinking about it makes me feel all soft and mushy on the inside!" he thinks out loud, making the other guys cringe 

"Dude, that's hella gross.." Zorome utters with a look of disgust that goes ignored by the ginger haired boy. 

"W-well…" Hiro stutters, at loss over what to say about the kiss he and Zero Two shared once upon a time. He had a myriad of feelings at the moment, yet, he could feel his tongue get caught up in his throat; how was he supposed to describe the kiss?

 _Magical? Extraordinary? Exhilarating?_

Glancing at the patient, curious stares of his friends, he gulps hard. "It felt...soft.." Hiro chimes softly, before adding, "..it was warm and m-made my heart race.." in a short moment, he recounts what had transpired between the both of them at that moment- seeing Zero Two fend off the delinquents by herself, and him, with a surge of adrenaline, helping her, and afterwards, getting to know each other more. To be honest, the kiss was something Hiro did not expect, _because for God's sake, who would kiss a person you've just met?!_

But still, the way he described it now..deep inside, he knew it was so much more than that.

" _You should only kiss the person you love!"_

 _Love?_ What did she mean by that? Hiro was no idiot when it came to this certain kind of talks, but he's left wondering to himself what did she actually mean by that? Yeah, he knows a kiss isn't something you do randomly, but then, why did she kiss him in the first place? Hiro was never the type to assume things, but he's left questioning whether it was simply an impulsive act on her part, or rather, an act of gratitude caused by his unwavering kindness towards her that day. Nevertheless, he knew that their kiss wasn't based on romantic feelings (you CAN'T fall in love with a person you've just met!), and whatever it was, made Hiro's head spin and chest tighten.

' _I wonder why…'_

"So...does that mean ya two're dating?" pulling him back from his thoughts, Zorome asks suspiciously. "I, mean, you two have been going at it for MONTHS. All your lovey dovey crap is gonna make me sick!" the smaller boy gags. 

' _D-d-date?!'_ Hiro blushes madly in embarrassment. Never had he spared a thought over dating and relationships, well, how could he? With all the pressure that had accumulated from back then, what mattered to him most was being able to get through the day without giving in to his urge to cut. 

Dating was never an option for him to begin with!" 

"N-no! Me and Zero Two aren't dating!" Hiro cries out. "W-w-we're just...friends! That's all!" 

"Heh, _friends"_ Zorome scoffs. 

Meanwhile, before the smaller boy could retort back, Goro intervenes, a small smile etched on his lips, masking the slight worry he was feeling for Hiro.

' _Knowing him, I bet he's feeling confused as hell right now'_

"Let's leave Hiro for now guys. If he says he and Zero Two are just friends, then we don't have any say about it, okay?" He glances back at Hiro, who had a thankful expression written all over his face. _'Still, as your best friend, it's best if I talk to you about stuff like that..'_ Goro thinks to himself.

' _No matter how brilliant you are or how much books you read Hiro, I know for sure that deep inside, you're as innocent as a child when it comes to love and relationships!'_

' _I mean, not even once have your computer caught any virus!'_ Goro suppresses a chuckle. 

Suddenly, the boys hear someone calling their names. Turning to see who was it, they see the girls, sans Zero Two, panting slightly. Miku, who had worry written all over her flushed face speaks first,

"Hey guys, have you seen Kokoro? She told me she was gonna go to the bathroom, but it's been more than thirty minutes!" 

"Mitsuru's been away too…" Ikuno adds quietly, but is cut short over Futoshi's loud wailing.

"EHHH?! YOU MEAN KOKORO CHAN'S MISSING?!"

* * *

"What is this place?" Kokoro muses quietly to herself. Curiously, she turns her head from side to side to marvel at the scenery before her. What was left of the seemingly abandoned town were ruins mostly covered in vines, but what piqued her curiosity was how the large temple situated at the heart of the town shown greatly with its fiery red colors. It was a mystery how amidst the earthy ruins, it manages to look as if time had not worn it out. 

In her state of childlike wonder, she is caught off guard when she suddenly hears a male voice speak. "This seems to the hidden temple, the locals were talking about." turning around, Kokoro gasps to see Mitsuru keenly observing some of the ruins.

"Mitsuru kun?!"

Looking over her with his usual stone cold glare, he straightens his back and walks over to her. "What are you doing here, Kokoro san?" 

"So you were here.." Kokoro takes a short breath and feels herself tense under his scrutinizing stare. 

"Did you follow me here?" The olive haired boy accuses, his Forest green eyes narrowing questionably, making Kokoro's breath hitch. Taking her silence as a yes, Mitsuru sighs and turns his back at the doe eyed girl. "It's best if you just leave me alone." 

"But I…there's a beach and..we should all be having fun" Kokoro tries reasoning slowly but is quickly shut off by Mitsuru's cold response.

"Not interested. I'd rather explore this place, _alone_ "

"But I-

"...You should just go back, Kokoro san. I can't guarantee your safety ahead."

' _As always, you keep pushing yourself away from others…'_ Staring at his hardened back, Kokoro couldn't help but feel her worry for Mitsuru bubble once more. If things would get bad for him, especially with his heart condition, who would be there to make sure his safe?

' _Mitsuru kun…'_

It wouldn't hurt to disobey once in while, wouldn't it?

* * *

"Hey, how long are we gonna trek this place?" Miku asks breathlessly, managing to send a glare at Zorome who was carelessly leading the group somewhere unknown. With no response coming from the boy, the redhead huffs and rolls her eyes. Feeling her legs slightly turn into jelly, Miku pauses for a bit till she finds Zero Two beside her. "Oh, Zero Two!" she beams before continuing walking, now while chatting with the pinkette to distract her from the impending fatigue creeping up on her. 

Trailing behind just inches away from the two girls were Ikuno and Ichigo. With her muscles feeling light from swimming, Ichigo sighs. Despite the tall trees obscuring the harsh sun rays, she could still feel the summer heat radiating all around, capturing her in a heated frenzy she so desperately wishes she was back in the cool water. With beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, down to her reddened cheeks, she suddenly feels a cool hand brush her face. Instantly, she flinches and looks wide eyed at Ikuno, who had an unreadable expression on her freckled face. 

"Ichigo, you look like you're about to faint" Ikuno comments worriedly. 

"Oh, I'm fine Ikuno. Thanks for worrying." Ichigo waves off with a sheepish smile. "You know how hard it is to walk under so much heat." 

Ikuno lets out a small giggle. Looking fondly at the small bluenette, her lips curve into a content smile. "Well, if ever you faint, I'll be here to carry you." she jokes, making Ichigo's flushed cheeks turn even redder. 

"H-hey-

"-You and Hiro, seriously kissed?!"

The sound of Miku's incredulous voice catches the attention of both Ikuno and Ichigo. _'Kissed?!'_ Ichigo thinks to herself, and unknowingly, this sends a pang to her chest. Never did she think Hiro would do such thing! 

Waiting for the pinkette's response, the girls were rendered shock when Zero Two just hums and shrugs her shoulders. "I kissed him." she says nonchalantly, before adding, "It was only one time though." 

"Ehhhh?! How was it?" Miku curiously asks, cheeks flushed pink over the sudden revelation of the horned girl beside her. Expecting Zero Two to describe the moment as something special, she was left surprised when she received some mediocre response. 

"It was okay, I guess..?" 

"Okay? Does it mean Hiro wasn't good with it?" Miku questions, before a realization hits her. "Wait, does that mean...you've kissed someone before?"

Zero Two just smirks, but before the redhead could say anything, she quickly tells her, "It was a small kiss on the cheek. No big deal.." 

Ichigo, who was listening to the whole conversation, suddenly speaks up, "Wait..since you kissed Hiro..does that mean you like him?" 

A long pause ensued between the two girls, but before Zero Two could speak up, they heard Futoshi's loud voice booming towards Zorome frantically.

"ZOROME! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS IS A DEAD END?!"

"WELL DAMN FUTOSHI, I GUESS YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO LEAD US FROM NOW ON."

"WHY YOU LITTLE-"

With how loud their bickering was going, Ikuno heaves out a deep sigh. _'Looks like we'll be walking a little longer.'_

* * *

"Kokoro san…"

Mitsuru shakes his head after glancing at the kind blonde trailing behind him with an oblivious smile on her face. _'Or is it? I bet she's doing this on purpose..'_ He thinks to himself, slightly annoyed over what Kokoro's motives were 

Frowning, he sighs in frustration. "I see you haven't paid heed to what I said earlier.." 

His frustration grows higher when he is met with a soft, quiet, chuckle. "It's just that, you were so serious back there, I couldn't even take you seriously!" Kokoro answers. 

A sarcastic thought enters his head. _'How ironic..'_

Anyways, it seems that no matter what he'll tell her, she would just ignore it, so Mitsuru chooses not to mind Kokoro's presence behind him. _'She's quiet as she is, so that makes things better..'_

"-Also, this place seems to be interesting! Especially with that temple over there!" Kokoro notes excitedly, pointing a dainty finger over the said structure. Sensing this, Mitsuru merely shrugs his shoulders in feigned disinterest and replies in an even tone. 

"Well, I've read about this once and heard from some locals on the bus earlier that the temple at night houses a million fireflies.." He says, not bothering to spear a fleeting glance over his spontaneous companion at the moment. "However, I think it's too risky if you explore the temple Kokoro san, since-

Wait a minute

' _I don't hear any footsteps…'_ The olive haired boy mentally notes before his eyes widen in realization. _'That girl must've..!'_ looking back, his hunch was proven correct when he is greeted with no Kokoro in sight. Gritting his teeth, Mitsuru feels his about to get a headache with how troublesome the young girl's curiosity was becoming. Doesn't she know the dangers of wandering off in some place unknown to their friends? _'Geez, doesn't she know the saying: Curiosity kills the cat…?'_

Thankfully though, he knew exactly where her curiosity was directed at, and immediately, he rushes towards the blazing red temple without any second thought.

* * *

"Eh?" Kokoro lets out a small sound of surprise after ascending the steps towards the temple. Once she enters, she finds the inside to be a whole lot different compared to the exterior of the structure; it was empty with the exception of a small shrine situated at the farthest part. with every step she takes, the floor boards loudly creak and unknowingly to her, she fails to notice the wearing ceiling that could falter at any minute. 

A cool wind blows inside, making Kokoro shiver slightly. 

Meanwhile, while she stood silently, faint footsteps were heard approaching the temple's interiors as well. Unsurprisingly, Mitsuru, slightly panting, spots Kokoro with her back facing his. Letting out a quiet sigh, his gaze turns stern as he starts approaching Kokoro. "So you _were_ here." he says in an accusing tone. "What in the world are you-

 _Crack_

"Huh?" feeling slight bits of rubble falling from above, Mitsuru's forest green eyes avert towards the ceiling and a chill runs through his spine once he realizes it was about to collapse with Kokoro coincidentally being under it. With a sudden surge of adrenaline coursing through every fiber of his being, Mitsuru charges quickly towards the unknowing woman and calls out in panic.

"..KOKORO SAN!"

* * *

Meanwhile, while the others were busy muttering their complaints over the prolonged trek, Goro, who walked alongside Hiro, gave him a side glance before speaking up, "Hey, you know, about the kiss we've been talking about earlier, when did that happen?" Goro asks with slight curiosity and amusement. 

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" Hiro mutters while keeping his eyes on the ground. 

"Well, try me!" the blonde man grins encouragingly. After a short moment of contemplation, Hiro sighs and tells his friend the truth.

"Remember when I came home soaking wet from the rain?" the raven haired teen blushes at the memory. "That was when she kissed me…" Taking a moment to process what Hiro said, Goro is hit with a realization that makes him gasp in utter surprise. Pointing a finger at his blushing friend, he concludes with a hush whisper only they could hear. It would be embarrassing on Hiro's part if everyone had heard what they were talking about, of course.

"Wait, so you two seriously kissed on the first day of school?!" Goro's suspicions are further confirmed when the boy's cheeks redden harder while he shifts his blue eyes to the side. Seeing this new expression on his friend leaves Goro with his jaw wide open, only for him to quickly recover with a small blush of his own.

' _Damn, this seems like something that comes out of an anime…'_ he thinks to himself while looking back at Hiro who was still blushing hard. Immediately, Goro's expression turns into one of knowing, eyes softening at his friend's vulnerable and flushed state.

' _Ah, looks like he really has it BAD..'_

"Hey Hiro, what do you feel whenever you're with Zero Two?" he asks slowly, as if he was talking to some child. 

Hiro looks back at him, his flush slowly disappearing as a look of innocent confusion dawns on his face. "What I feel…?" for awhile, he pauses to think of all the moments he shared with the pinkette and this leaves a bubbly feeling emerging from his chest. With an unknown surge, he couldn't help but curve his lips into a fond smile, and as Goro notes on the sudden softness of his bright blue orbs, he listens to his friend speak, 

"I don't actually know how to explain it, but...whenever I'm with Zero Two...I realize that I've been missing out so much on being happy, and thanks to her, I started seeing things differently." Hiro says quietly, his heart constricting at every word he dare utters. "It's like, with Zero Two, I feel like I can conquer any problem y'know? And at the same time, I want to be there for her when she's down, even if she doesn't need me...I want to be someone she can rely on since I rely on her the most…"

"To be honest, thanks to her, I'm beginning to feel complete." Hiro smiles brightly at Goro, who smiles back knowingly.

' _Hiro...you..'_

"So, it means you love her right?" at the taller guy's blunt words, Hiro is suddenly caught off guard before laughing nervously. 

"It's kinda strange, Zero Two mentioned something about love earlier too…" Hiro half jokes in between laughs, but taking a good look at Goro's serious expression makes him stop and heave out a deep sigh. "Well, to be honest, ever since the school festival, I've been thinking off what I've been feeling for Zero Two...but, I'm not sure if it's love, Goro.." 

"And why so?" 

Hiro purses his lips tightly before answering, "I don't know..it's just that, after all that has happened in the past few years, I'm not sure if I'm ready for stuff like that… 

' _If this is really 'love', then I'd start expecting for more-and that's why I'm scared.'_

' _I'm perfectly contented with how things are..'_

"Besides, I'm not even sure with how Zero Two sees me!" He forces a smile, and with furrowed eyebrows, Goro responds, 

"But, it's obvious how much Zero Two cares for you.." 

"And that's because…?" Hiro questions. 

"I don't think you need reasons to care for someone.." Goro comments while interlacing his fingers behind his head. With a thoughtful expression, he continues, making Hiro look at him in wonder, "..And I think it's the same with loving someone. You don't need to answer too many questions to be sure of how you feel over a person. Once it hits you, everything just suddenly seems to make sense.."

"Goro…"

Flashing a boyish, lopsided grin, Goro exclaims coolly, "For a guy who has an IQ of 141, you really are slow with things like this!" slightly annoyed with his friend's comment, Hiro opens his mouth to respond back but is then greeted with a closed fist placed over his chest. "You better start listening to what your heart tells you"

' _I….'_

 _._

 _._

 _All my life, I've been caged by what people expected from me, and thus, I followed them till I forgotten my own voice._

 _._

 _._

' _Goro's right.'_

 _._

 _._

 _It's time I follow what my heart tells me to do!_

 _._

 _._

' _After all...I have you..'_

* * *

' _Oof,'_ Groaning in pain, Mitsuru finds him and Kokoro just a few feet away from the collapsed remains of the ceiling; he figured he had probably pushed Kokoro out of the way with a lot more force than he had actually intended, resulting in them lying sideways on the floor with the blonde within his strong hold. Lifting his head slightly to check if she was okay, he asks "Are you alright, Kokoro san?" when she wriggles a bit in his hold, he is left speechless when a quiet moan escaped her lips- some sound he wouldn't dare imagine come from someone as gentle as Kokoro. Tilting his head to see her more clearly, his usually stoic face reddens all over once he sees where his hands were situated.

' _S-soft…!'_

Once she breathes out another moan, Mitsuru wills himself to get away from her body while trying to suppress the blush he was sporting.

What made things worse was he managed to catch a glimpse of what was hidden beneath her bikini top.

Fortunately, the impact caused Kokoro to become overwhelmed with dizziness, which made her unaware of what transpired between the both of them. Holding her head, she slowly sits up and finds Mitsuru sitting a few meters away from her with his back facing her. Worried, she asks, "Mitsuru kun? Are you- 

"-Haven't I told you awhile ago? I can't guarantee your safety! So please don't go off by yourself, understand?" He scolds her in a rush, leaving her momentarily stunned over his brash way of showing concern, but immediately she hangs her head low in shame. 

"I'm sorry…" 

Mitsuru huffs, "You should be! I mean, what would've happened if you've gotten hurt and nobody around was there to help you?" he shoots a glare at her, yet, he is left confused when he sees her begin to giggle, the sound making him flush in embarrassment. "W-what's so funny?" 

Once her giggles died down, Kokoro shakes her head before sending a kind smile to the befuddled boy. "It's nothing to worry about, Mitsuru kun; it's just, I never thought I'd see you get so worried.."

' _What's THAT supposed to mean?'_ Mitsuru thinks, slightly irked. "Well, it's not that much of an issue, unless you-

"Thank you, Mitsuru kun." Not quite getting what she said, Mitsuru turns to look at Kokoro who had a contented look plastered on her mildly blushing face. Furrowing his eyebrows together, he asks her one more time, 

"...What did you say?" 

Taking a deep breath, the young girl repeats what she said earlier, this time, with more clarity. "I said...thank you Mitsuru kun. If it weren't for you, I don't know what could've happened." with her lips curling into an ecstatic grin, she adds, "You're so brave and cool, Mitsuru kun! I wish I was somehow like you.."

"Hmph.." at loss over how he should respond, Mitsuru finds himself growing flushed over Kokoro's honest words of praise towards him. As he plans to get up, he finds his knee slightly buckle before a sharp pain shoots right through it. Hissing in pain, he returns to his previous position, and while inspecting his leg, Mitsuru finds a long gash just inches below his knee. _'Damn it!'_ he winces, trying to put pressure on the wound to prevent the bleeding. Immediately, Kokoro notices Mitsuru's painful reaction and rushes to his side. 

"We have to bandage the wound!" she frantically says, but as she tries standing up to find anything she could use, Mitsuru holds her by the wrist to stop her. 

"No, I'm okay.." He pants, "I just gotta let it bleed for awhile and then…" he couldn't finish what he was saying due to the sudden bouts of pain, making Kokoro completely ignore what he just said. Standing abruptly, she slings Mitsuru onto her shoulders with all the strength she could muster, and gently drag themselves outside the temple because it was too dangerous to be inside. Once they've gotten out, Kokoro gently sits her injured friend onto the temple's stairs, then runs off, but not before telling Mitsuru, "I'll be right back!" 

A few moments later, Mitsuru's surprised to see Kokoro holding out what seems to be a bottle full of water, to which she replies that she found a small stream while trekking up here in the first place. Dipping down to level of his injured leg, Kokoro rips a part of her jacket and dampens it with the water she found. Gently, she dabs on the wound until somehow, the bleeding stopped. 

"Kokoro san…" Mitsuru whispers, flinching a bit when the remains of her ripped cloth hits his skin. Looking down at the kneeling female, his eyes mistakenly dip down to the soft suppleness of her chest, and immediately, recalling the scene earlier, he averts his gaze and hastily looks anywhere but at Kokoro. 

' _Stop this! You're better than those damn perverts!'_ Mitsuru reprimands himself angrily. 

Meanwhile, as Kokoro finishes wrapping his leg up, she looks back up at Mitsuru with a worried expression. "I'm really sorry, because of me you got hurt.." 

"What's done is done. This isn't your concern anymore." He responds back in his usual, blunt tone. 

"Can you walk?" Kokoro tilts her head, "-or maybe I should go back first and tell the others.." she tells him but for the second time today, he grabs on to her wrist firmly and looks at her with those icy, green eyes of his. For a moment, Kokoro finds herself unable to look away from his hard stare and quickly takes a sharp breath. 

"No, don't go off on your own." Mitsuru says, his grip tightening, although it was gentle enough to not hurt Kokoro, "Let's just wait until the pain subsides, then we'll go back." hearing the seriousness laced in his voice, Kokoro nods and doesn't say anything else while sitting beside the male.

* * *

"Do you really think a million fireflies live here?" Kokoro softly asks as tries to make some small talk with the man beside her. Mitsuru, who felt a little clammy from the previous blood loss, only shrugs.

"It may be possible.." 

"Really? You think so?" Kokoro's deep blue eyes sparkle in wonder. "Mou, I really would want to see it." she smiles, to which he arches a brow at her giddy behavior. "How about you Mitsuru kun? Would you to see them?" 

"Nope. Not interested." he deadpans. 

"That's too bad." Kokoro lets out a sigh before softly giggling. "But it would be troublesome for you now." she says, pointing to his bandaged leg. 

Subtly checking her for any scrapes or bruises, he asks on impulse, "How about you, Kokoro san?" glancing at him with eyes big with confusion, she questions his inquiry, not fully understanding what he meant. 

"What about me?"

"Are you hurt?" 

"..." Kokoro pauses for a moment before putting on a large smile for Mitsuru. "I'm fine, Mitsuru kun, thanks for asking." he nods then focuses his gaze on the ground, opting to enjoy the serene sound of nature. Honestly, he had to admit that having Kokoro san be the one with him was absolutely better than having either Zorome or Futoshi, or worse...Hiro..yes, that would've been unbearable for the young man. Since it was Kokoro, he was able to just mind his own business without feeling fully irritated; 

But alas, just as he was about to fully immerse in the peaceful aura, he and Kokoro suddenly hears a bunch of people call out their names, and minutes later, they are immediately approached by the gang, with Futoshi hovering over Kokoro. 

"KOKORO SAN! YOU DON'T KNOW JUST HOW MUCH I'VE BEEN WORRIED FOR YOU!" The ginger haired boy cries, making Kokoro laugh nervously. 

"Sorry, Futoshi kun…" she sincerely apologizes. 

Hiro, who was just observing the others flock around Kokoro, notices a quiet Mitsuru with his leg covered up with a bandage that was lightly tinged with red. Concern gracing his looks, he approaches the said guy and asks, "Mitsuru, you okay?" turning towards Hiro, Mitsuru's face immediately twists into an expression of sheer contempt, and through clenched fists and gritted teeth, he seethes. 

"Funny to hear that come from _you."_ with words laced with sarcasm, he walks away from the confused teen and unconsciously turns his gaze towards Kokoro, who seemed to be walking slowly compared to the others. 

With furrowed eyebrows, he decides to keep a close eye on her for the time being.

* * *

It was finally night time and everyone had already set their sleeping bags for the night. They've all just finished eating their grilled meals, and right now, were huddled in a circle as a bonfire burned brightly at the middle. With marshmallows on sticks, Miku and Zorome sat closely next to each other as they intently watched their marshmallows roast by the fire. 

"I bet my marshmallow would come out better than yours." Zorome challenges, making Miku scoff loudly. 

"Ha! Say that to your burning puffy!" she retorts back while pointing towards his, truth be told, already burning marshmallow.

"HOLY SHIT-" Zorome shouts, trying to blow on the char colored sweet. 

Laughing at the two's usual shenanigans, Kokoro slowly stands from her seat and waves to the others. "Um, I'd like to walk for a little more, if that's okay." she timidly asks, making Futoshi stand abruptly to hold onto her two shoulders. The young girl lets out a small yelp of surprise. 

"LET ME ACCOMPANY YOU, KOKORO CHAN!" Seeing his enthusiasm, Kokoro couldn't help but feel guilty if she doesn't agree to his wishes.

' _Still..I think it's better if I'm alone, for now…'_ she purses her lips before shaking her head slowly.

"Mm..I'll be fine, Futoshi kun. No need to join me…" she says in an apologetic tone. Bowing at the others, she then starts to walk away; however, two piercing eyes stare at her retreating form, and immediately senses something weird with Kokoro.

' _She's limping..'_ he thought, thus, instinctively, he too stands up and begins walking towards her direction. 

"Mitsuru?" Ikuno says, "Where are you going?" 

"Fresh air." Is all he simply says, not bothering to spare a glance towards the others. 

Meanwhile, after finishing her nth marshmallow, Zero Two, turns to Hiro and ask if she could take a deep once more in the sea. "You sure? It's gotten pretty dark now." Hiro questions her with a mildly concerned expression, yet, he knew Zero Two wasn't one to budge. With how reckless she may get, a little night swimming wouldn't scare her. 

"I'll be fine, darling!" She grins before running back to the ocean for a last minute dip, leaving Hiro sighing. _'You've just eaten, Zero Two..'_ he wanted to tell her, but she was too quick to go.

* * *

The cool, summer breeze lifts Kokoro's hair into the wind, lightly tickling her face. After a few minutes of walking, she opted to just sit by the shore and let the waves just brush against her bare feet.

She breathes out a deep sigh. 

Earlier, when she and Mitsuru got into a minor accident at the temple, she immediately panicked seeing the boy's leg bleeding from a long gash that she didn't pay attention to her aching ankle. At first, it was bearable so she made sure no one would notice, just so that they wouldn't worry over her, buy now that hours have passed, Kokoro could feel it beginning to swell and bruise so she opted to try and walk; hoping it would somehow ease the numbing ache. 

' _Looks like walking seems like a bad idea.'_ she thinks sadly to herself and is left wondering how long will it get her in order to get back to the squad's resting place. 

"Looks like I'll be hanging around here a little longer." lonely, she hovers her fingers just above the sea foam, when she feels the sand beneath her crunch. Looking back, she sees no one other than Mitsuru staring down at her with his usual piercing gaze.

"...Mitsuru...kun?" she says quietly, quite surprised to see he has found her, only for a sudden feel of shame to arise from her chest.

' _He's probably mad at me for not telling the truth…'_

"You're hurt." his words didn't form a question, but rather, was stated with as much straight forwardness he could muster at that moment. As Kokoro mouth opened, trying to come up with an excuse, looking at his no nonsense gaze made her falter and hang her head low. It was futile to lie to someone so observant. 

"I'm sorry.." she mutters softly, bracing herself for the boy's harsh scolding. 

"For what?" 

"For not telling you the truth." Kokoro says while motioning at her swollen ankle. "I'm sorry." 

Expecting a rather brash comment from the other, Kokoro gasps when she sees him walk in front of her and kneel with his face hidden. "Hop on." was his simple and short command but it made the girl's heart skip a beat out of nervousness. 

"T-that's...what about your wound?" she tries reasoning out through stutters. 

"It's better now, so hop on" 

"I'm heavy!" She blurts out, her hands covering her already blushing face, only to be shut off by that serious tone of his when he says her name. Sighing defeatedly, she wobbily stands up and braces herself against Mitsuru's back, skin heating up when she feels the pad of his fingers hook themselves onto her exposed thigh. Lifting her up, albeit shakily, she lets out a small yelp and instantly wraps her arms around his neck tightly. Once they finally gotten stable, Kokoro subtly leans her head down and whispers a small apology.

"Stop saying you're sorry." Mitsuru chastises. "It's not like you wanted to get hurt." with a small flush appearing on his face, his voice comes out in a hushed murmur 

"Besides, you helped me earlier, so think of this as way of thanks.." hearing him utter those words just for her, Kokoro tries her best to relax, but strangely, she feels her heart racing like crazy. It felt like at that moment, she was about to burst. 

' _I wonder if Mitsuru kun's experiencing the same thing…'_ she wonders as they begin their way back at their camp site. Being swayed by his walk, Kokoro feels the lull of sleep slowly take over her. Burying her face against his hard back, she murmurs sleepily, "Ne, Mitsuru kun...I remembered something…" 

"What..?" 

"Do you think we'll be able to see the fireflies, sometime..?" she asks one more time closing her eyes. 

"I don't think-" Mitsuru suddenly stops in his tracks as his eyes follow the small glowing lights that seemed to increase by the second until they were totally surrounded by the lights. Mitsuru would be lying if he said that the scene before him wasn't mesmerizing, so he carefully shakes the girl on his back and says, "Look, Kokoro san..there they are.."

No response.

"Kokoro san..?" he tries taking a peek from behind but suddenly hears a soft snore coming from Kokoro. _'..She's sleeping..'_ he sighs, thinking how much the sleeping blonde would've loved to see just how much fireflies had actually appeared. Seeing one rest upon her button nose, Mitsuru can't help but smirk.

' _Maybe next time…'_

* * *

Once the fire had burnt out, everyone soon prepared for bed and a few moments later, had fallen fast asleep; all except Hiro, that is. Not only was he anxious over Zero Two still not coming back, but deep in his innermost thoughts, he was still processing what Goro had told him earlier. 

' _Am I really in love with Zero Two? If so, then what's next..?'_ the question kept repeating on and on inside his head until he, himself, could not take it. Sitting up, he carefully tries to slip out of his sleeping bag as to not wake the others up, however, with just one foot sticking inside the bag, he sees a small figure sit up as well. Recognizing who it was, even in the dark, Hiro gulps nervously before speaking in a slight stutter, 

"I-Ichigo..?" the bluenette only smiles in response. 

Little do they know, there was someone who already got up before them.

* * *

Emerging from the dark waters, Zero Two takes in a deep breath before continuing on with fluid strokes until she reaches the small dock. Slowly climbing up, her eyes takes notice of a figure standing before her. Looking up, a genuine look of surprise colors her face as she acknowledges his presence. 

"Goro..?" 

With a cheeky grin, the boy who was apparently holding some fishing gear waves at the pinkette half submerged in the cold evening waters.

"Yo."

* * *

Sitting a few meters apart, Zero Two turns to look at the blonde man carelessly casting his fishing line while whistling some tune she couldn't quite get. hugging her knees closer to her chest, she calls out to him, "Hey Goro, why didn't you go fishing earlier?" stopping from his tune, he looks at Zero Two and lets out a nervous chuckle. 

"Well you see...it's kind of embarrassing to do this in front of the others.." he scratches his cheek with his free hand before resuming, "-also, only rare specie of fishes come at night!" Goro's tone switches to that of excitement, making the pinkette's eyes widen out of wonder. 

"Really?! I should tell gramps about that!" she exclaims loudly, making the other guy smile. 

"Heh, who would've thought the headmaster would actually engage in such activities." He jokes, making Zero Two laugh out heartily. Wiping a tear from her eye, she backs him up with a humorous response, 

"Hah! You haven't seen his most prized collection just yet!" she cackles, referencing her grandpa's obsessive love towards his porcelain ceramics. Once their laughter had finally died down, Goro suddenly remembers something.

"Hey Zero Two.."

"Yeah?" she tilts her head towards his direction. 

"-I'll be giving back the comic you lent me, okay?" Zero Two shakes her head in rapid succession. 

"Oh no need to hurry, I've been reading a few ones I've seen online.." she replies coolly. 

"Oh really? What is it about?" Goro asks out of curiosity since he finds the pinkette's tastes similar to his' 

"It's about a girl who's some kind of _monster_ wanting to eat this boy, but then stuff happens and they fall in love?" Zero Two tells him with a thoughtful expression, before adding, "..oh, it's Korean by the way, so yay for colored pages!" bringing an open palm to his face's level, the two friends do a high five while grinning at each other, when suddenly, Zero Two notices a flash of black and blue from the corner of her eye. Turning to see what it was, she recognizes it as her darling with Ichigo trailing behind. Quickly, she grabs Goro's shoulders and turns him towards the other two's direction.

"Look, Goro! It's darling and Ichigo!" Zero Two points out.

* * *

"I couldn't sleep for some reason.." Ichigo softly says while following Hiro from behind. Her eyes trail over his back, making her realize just how much Hiro has changed from back when they had first met as kids. He was significantly taller now, and his baby face was replaced with more refined features that accentuated his boyish charm; however, one thing that strikes Ichigo the most is how, despite all the secrets and pain he had held onto, his bright blue eyes remained as kind as before. Ichigo understands why Zero Two instantly got attached to Hiro, and it was probably because he was the first person to ever accept her despite her horns. 

His kindness stands out more than his intelligence, and Ichigo likes him for it. 

If it wasn't for Hiro, she would have never learned to get out of her shell and be the leader she was today. Thanks to him, Ichigo learned how to believe in herself. 

"Same here." Hiro responds to her previous statement while looking up at the sky. _'It sure is a starry night.'_ he thinks to himself while silently marvelling at the thousands of constellations. Meanwhile, while she stares fondly at his observance, Ichigo lightly steps on the footprints Hiro left, mimicking somewhat a dance that made her feel light on her feet. 

' _It would be nice to walk beside him, always..'_ she giggles quietly to herself. Lifting her head up, her eyes immediately spots a certain constellation and excitedly, she points out to the sky.

"Look Hiro! It's Orion." 

Glancing to where Ichigo was pointing, Hiro confirms that what she saw was indeed, the constellation that of the hunter. "In the past, Orion was considered to be the most prominent winter constellation.." Hiro muses to himself. 

"Really?" the bluenette's eyes sparkle in amazement over her friend's vast knowledge over constellations. "You used to tell me a lot about stars back when we were little, huh.." 

Hiro chuckles before looking at her with subtle confusion. "Have I now?" he says, making Ichigo pout over his forgetfulness. Feigning anger, she huffs, 

"Mou! I may be stupid sometimes, but I remember everything you've taught me!" looking up once more, her eyes find another pattern, but this time, her heart begins throbbing; a dull ache forming in the depths of her chest. In a hushed whisper, she says "You've probably forgotten about that star too-

"You mean the _Ichigo_ star?" Hiro's response left Ichigo off guard, the subtle ache in her chest being replaced by a tender warmth. Her cheeks redden when he continues on, "-the 15th star of the Orion constellation, same as your name…" Hiro smiles to himself. "I once read in a book that the star was so dark, you couldn't see it..I guess the book's right." he chuckles.

"Hiro.." 

"We promised each other we'd see it someday, right?" overcome with emotions, Ichigo hides it by throwing a light punch at his shoulder, making him wince slightly. 

"W-what the? You remember everything so clearly!" she cries out, hiding the redness of her cheeks. When Ichigo finally managed to calm her heart down, she starts walking past the bewildered boy slowly. "Y'know…" she begins, slightly hesitant with what to say, "..we could always see that star another time, since high school has just started for us, right?" 

Hiro nods. 

"I-I know I haven't told you this but…" Ichigo's body trembles, unable to contain the feelings she has for a little longer. She didn't dare look him in the eye, out of the fear of doing something she'll probably regret after, so she stays where she is. "...All these years of knowing you..I'm thankful for every second I spend with you, Hiro, so please, even of this is selfish of me, I want to be by your side-

"Look, Ichigo! Falling stars!" Hiro unintentionally cuts her off as he stands mesmerized over the thousand stars falling from the night sky.

Although she is met with disappointment, the moment Ichigo gazes at the sky was the moment she dare wishes to never end; her and Hiro, under a majestic shower of celestial beauty- just the two of them; that's why in the midst of her contentment, she wills herself to close her eyes and make a wish.

' _Please let me stay by his side, forever..'_

When she's done, Ichigo sees Hiro looking at her with curiosity. "What did you wish for Ichigo?" grinning cheekily, she launches another hit on his shoulder. 

"I've already said it earlier, you dummy!" she jokes, making them both laugh. When Hiro returns his gaze to the sky, he immediately notices two specific stars he had once read about, including the myth behind it.

' _Altair and Vega, the two lovers who have been separated, only to be reunited once a year on…_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Tanabata._

 _FZZZZZZ_

Without any warning, a sharp pain shoots through his head, making him wince and wobble slightly on his feet. Ichigo notices this and supports him by putting a hand on his back. "Hiro, are you okay?" she asks, concerned over his sudden demeanor, meanwhile, Hiro, who was slightly out of breath from the pain, now subsided into a dull ache, smiles weakly. 

"I-I'm fine..maybe we should call it a night, ne, Ichigo?" Said bluenette furrows her eyebrows for a moment, not believing a thing Hiro said, but chooses to let it go and lead him back to the campsite; when suddenly, she hears Hiro speak, 

"Hey um, Ichigo, I'd like to ask you something about the Tanabata…"

* * *

"Looks like they're going back huh.." Zero Two comments while staring at the two friends. Turning back to Goro, she notices the subtle change of his demeanor. With slight worry, she pokes him by the shoulder and asks, "Are you okay..?" this manages to snap Goro out of his silence as his gaze focuses on her unusual, teal colored irises. "Hey, Goro, you seemed to be out of it..?" she prods once more, only to be brushed off by the man with a reassuring smile; although Zero Two could clearly see it was forced. 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be..?" she rolls her eyes towards his words and respond by saying something Goro would have never expected from Zero Two. 

"You're in love with Ichigo, huh?" her abrupt way of saying it made the blonde go red in embarrassment. 

"W-what makes you say that..?" he curses himself for stuttering in front of the smug girl. 

"The way you look at them." she states with a crooked smile, "I could see how much you long to be by Ichigo's side...unless..-

"YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH DARLING?!" Zero Two yells loud enough for everyone to hear, making Goro panic and clamp her mouth shut with his hand, the action making the pinkette glare at him and growl lightly. Gulping, he immediately lets her go and sighs, knowing it was useless trying to cover up his feelings. Besides, Zero Two really wasn't the type to broadcast secrets, right?

' _RIGHT?!'_

"You're right, I'm in love with Ichigo…" he says dejectedly. "but she only sees me as her childhood friend…" 

Seeing how down the blonde suddenly got, Zero Two sighs and hastily places a hand on his back, carefully trying to pat him lightly as a sign of comfort. "There, there…" she inwardly cringes, "You see, darling is also Ichigo's childhood friend and look how special he is to her? It's the same with you too…" when Goro tries to argue back, he is shocked to see Zero Two put on an expression he has never seen on her before. Usually, she's bubbly and playful recently whenever she was with Hiro, but right now…

There was a look of sadness and..longing? Embedded on her glowering eyes.

"Zero..Two.." he manages to say. 

"Having a childhood friend...such a special bond, right?" unsure whether she was talking to him or herself, Goro watches Zero Two continue with her musings. "Say, Goro? Has darling ever had someone special back then?" he shakes his head.

"None that I've ever heard of…"

Her lips curl into a sad smile, hands balling into fists as her nails dig deeper into the tender flesh of her palms. "Ah, I see..that's too bad.." she mutters before finally standing up to go back. "I'll be heading off Goro. Good luck on your fishing!" she cheers, but this time, Goro is the one to catch her off guard with his own questions;

"Zero Two, do you love Hiro?"

* * *

Hello everyone! Exams are finally finished so I managed to update after so long! Thank you always for your patience and I'd like to warn you all that the next part of this story is gonna get slightly rocky, not only with Hir02, but also with the others' relationships as well. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter and please tune in for more!

P.S: I kinda wanted to expand on the friendship between Zero Two and Goro cause I believe it wasn't explored that much in the anime. They could've been a great support team, platonically speaking. :((

Also, the comic Zero Two was reading in this fic is actually based on an actual Korean webcomic titled 'Appetite' (shoutout to my dude out there for introducing me to it!) it's a great story that kinda reminds me of our own Dino couple and it's already completed! I hope you guys consider reading it really is amazing, art and storywise!

Till next time!


	35. Chapter 32: Hot Springs

"Darliiiing! Hurry up!"

It hasn't been like, five days since their last outing at the beach and here Hiro was, trying to catch his breath, as both he and Zero Two ran downtown to the nearest train station. He was still quite tired after the beach trip and later, from visiting his parents, but Miku insisted on going on a trip to the hot springs; something he couldn't quite understand since it was the middle of summer. Nevertheless, the girls, including Zero Two, were ecstatic on going, so he and the others had no choice to join as well. 

It was better rather than moping around, Hiro guesses to himself. 

Meanwhile, with his hand in hers, Zero Two was still as chirpy as ever. It's been a few days since the last time they saw each other, so seeing the pinkette beaming with her usual childlike nature, was something Hiro greatly admired. To be honest, earlier, his heart skipped a beat when he asked her what she did during their three-day separation.

"Wait for you to get back.." she said with large eyes filled with longing.

Anyways, now that they were together, all they had to do now was ride the train all the way to District 26. After that, they'd just have to locate the bath house they'd be staying at with the map Miku sent them. _'travelling with Zero Two…'_ they've already done it back then when the pinkette brought him to Cerasus lake, but now, just the thought made Hiro feel strangely giddy for some reason. It was like his heart was beating out of anticipation and he doesn't know why. 

" _So it means you love her right?"_ remembering what his blonde best friend told him at the beach made the boy blush crimson. _'Love..'_ the more he thought about it, the more jumbled his mind got. It was like trying to fit bits of puzzles while blindfolded. _'Maybe it's better for me to not think about it at all!'_ he resolves, as Hiro wouldn't want things to be awkward between him and Zero Two once his anxiety kicks in. Besides, Zero Two wouldn't fall for someone like him, right?

 _Would she?_

' _No! No! No!'_ the raven haired teen mentally scolds himself. Shaking his head, he pursed his lips tightly, _'You're having strange thoughts again Hiro! Stop letting Goro's words get the better of you!'_ In frustration, he lets out an audible grunt. 

"Eh, you okay, darling?" slowing down her pace, Zero Two looks back to check on Hiro, who seemed to be pretty flushed in her opinion. _'he must be tired?'  
_

"Hey, darling, it's okay if we rest for awhile. We could go grab some wa- 

"N-no I'm fine!" Hiro reassures nervously. "I guess, I'm just pretty excited for the hot springs!" he says, clearly an excuse which Zero Two fortunately accepts. 

With a playful smirk, she says teasingly, "Ah, as always~ Darling is a pervert!" Hiro blushes but doesn't say a word, leading her to prod further. Poking at his chest, she gives him a wink, "No peeking darling~" 

' _She's making fun of me again…'_ sighing, Hiro grabs Zero Two's hand and starts walking. Trying to hide the growing blush on his cheeks, he looks away from the surprised girl thanks to his bold action. "Let's go, Zero Two." Smiling, she adjusts her hand so her fingers could interlace with his.

"Okay!"

* * *

On the train, they found themselves seating closely side by side, their arms lightly brushing against one another, but for Zero Two, she doesn't mind it. Things like this weren't such a big deal for her, and truth be told, she liked feeling her darling near her. It made her feel calm and happy. Reaching out to her bag and grabbing her water bottle, she takes a sip before passing it to Hiro. "Want some, darling?" she offers with an apologetic smile. "You must be tired from running. Sorry about that.." 

Smiling over the pinkette's consideration towards him, he grabs hold of her bottle and takes a few, small sips as well. When the cool, liquid washes down his throat, Hiro couldn't help but notice the water had a tinge of sweetness to it- kinda like honey.

' _Maybe it's cause Zero Two drank from it.'_ Hiro blushes before giving back the bottle while uttering a small 'thanks.'

The ride was fairly peaceful, with the occasional small talks and Zero Two humming happily to herself, Hiro finds the young lady suddenly shift all her weight towards him to casually lay her head on his shoulder. As usual, he feels a blush starting to creep up his face, but when he hears the light snores beginning to come out the pinkette's lips, Hiro couldn't help but smile to himself. Gently, he lifts his hand to pat her head; an act that was endearing to the bystanders.

Feeling rather drowsy himself, Hiro murmurs to Zero Two quietly before closing his eyes, "...Zero Two?" 

"Hm?" she manages to say. 

"Are you enjoying summer?" he stifles a yawn. Hiro feels Zero Two shift her body closer to his, to the point of snuggling him. Whispering by the crook of his neck, she says before ultimately falling asleep.

"As long as I'm with you Darling, I'm happy.." 

Lips forming a drowsy smile, Hiro responds back before succumbing to his own dreamland.

"Me too...Zero Two…"

* * *

"It's getting quite late, don't you think?" Kokoro muses to the group worriedly. "I wonder where Zero Two and Hiro kun are?" 

"They're grown ups now. They can handle themselves well." Mitsuru brushes off the blonde's queries with a straight face; still, this doesn't elevate any of the kind girl's worries, yet she chooses not to say more about it. Meanwhile, Ikuno overhears the small exchange and decides to voice out her own queries, as well.

"They're probably frolicking on their own, again" Ikuno sighs before stealing a glance at Ichigo, who was busy conversing with Goro. Inwardly, she frowns, a feeling of frustration she seldomly experiences. "...I just wish those two would hurry up-" cut off by an arm suddenly wrapping around her shoulders, the dark haired maiden lets out a small gasp. 

"Mou! Let's not judge those two quickly! For all we know, Hiro and Zero Two must've gotten lost along their way." Miku chastises with Ikuno in her hold, before continuing with a cheeky grin. "Besides! We're going to a hot spring! Taking an evening dip is way more relaxing!" with the redhead's optimism, Ikuno and Kokoro find themselves letting go of their previous worries. Looking back at each other, then at Miku, they all smile. 

"Mhm!" they agree in unison before excitedly talking about the hot springs. Unknown to them, they were being scrutinized by a certain small blonde, accompanied by Futoshi, with a look full of judgment.

"Man, what is it with girls and hot springs?" Zorome questions with arms folded. "Besides, who the hell would want to go to one in the middle of summer?!" 

"I do." Futoshi answers back, pointing to himself with a smile, making Zorome turn to him with a questioning stare. "It relaxes the muscles, mind you, plus, it's real great for keeping the skin smooth and healthy!" 

"Keeping the skin _what?_ " the young man cringes at his friend's statement. In return, Futoshi just shrugs his shoulders and continues on like it was no big deal.

"Hey, the body is just like bread. Gotta make sure it's always in top shape!" 

"Yeah yeah…" Zorome rolls his eyes as he brushes off what Futoshi said before calling out to a certain redhead. "Oiii, Miku!" mildly startled, Miku turns to him with her head tilted and eyes wide with confusion. "Oi, why didn't you bring along Nana sensei?" Zorome asks, frowning when he sees the girl shrug her shoulders. 

"Nana-nee said she was busy with all the school work.." Miku replied. 

"Even during summer break?" 

"Mhm!" Miku makes a sound of affirmation before going into deep thought. "...Also...I'm not sure but..I heard her say she was gonna meet some friend.." before Zorome could once again ask about the redhead's older sister, they hear Goro call out loudly from a distance.

"Yo guys! Hiro and Zero Two are finally here!" quickly, the group rushes towards Goro to see two of their friends panting slightly with apologetic smiles plastered on their lips. Hiro was the first to speak out. 

"Hey, sorry we're late.." 

"Darling and I kinda lost our map on the train.." Zero Two adds. "We had to ask people along the way.." 

"Never mind that." Ichigo reassures then with a smile. "It's better if we go to the hot springs now before it gets late.." she turns back, but not before giving a glance to all the others, her gaze lingering a bit longer at a certain raven haired male. When their eyes met, Ichigo smiles as her heart jumps for a moment. Once more, she says;

"Everyone, let's go."

* * *

"Waaah, this place is so…" Starry eyed, Kokoro marvels over the facade of the bathhouse. At first, they were only expecting some small inn, but never did they imagine they'd be staying at some place reminiscent to a mini japanese castle from the medieval period; just one look, and you can easily tell how the place was made up of expensive material and such, it was quite a surprise they managed to be there as high school students. 

"Well, it's a perk to have connections..!" Miku winks to the group. Stretching her sore muscles from the trip, she walks towards an opposite direction. "Let's take care of our first, kay? Then after, I'd ask the caretaker to ready us some dinner." She says before waving off. 

"You heard her. Let's separate for now shall w-" Ichigo cuts off her sentence when she sees Zero Two following Hiro. Quickly, she grabs hold of the pinkette's shoulder; a rather, challenging feat given their immense height difference. With a stern look, she scolds Zero Two. "No. Girls and Boys aren't supposed to sleep together."

"But darli- 

"You. Stay. With us." the bluenette says with more force. "It'll be a pain if we get in trouble because of that." 

Seeing how serious Ichigo was with her stone hard gaze, Zero Two ultimately gives in with a deep sigh. Frowning, she begrudgingly follows the other girls. "How boring.." she mutters under her breath. While walking to their rooms, the group passes by an open window, to which the pinkette takes notice. Pausing for awhile, she peers out to see that the sun had finally set and the stars were beginning to appear one by one, however, what catches her attention is a small bridge from a distance with a clear pond under it. Blinking, Zero Two is quickly snapped out from her thoughts once she hears Ichigo calling for her.

' _Looks like I'll be checking that out, later.'_

* * *

Once they took care of all their stuff, and changed to more traditional clothing as per the caretaker's request, the group all head to the dining hall to see an oriental feast set for them. On the table, there were various choices of grilled meat and fish, with different side dishes and a heaping serving of hot soup to top it all off. To Zero Two and Futoshi's surprise, there was also a portion for different breads and sweets, they were left practically salivating over the ample amount of choices. 

"Anpan!" Futoshi exclaims while grabbing heaps of red bean buns and stuffing them in his mouth; Zero Two on the other hand, picked a yellow colored mochi and plopped it in her mouth. Chewing it slowly, her face twists into pure joy. 

"It's honey flavored mochi!" She says to Hiro with her cheeks puffed up. Hiro could only laugh nervously at her usual excitement. 

"AH, LET'S DIG IN!" Zorome exclaims loudly as he seats himself close to the grilled meat, and like the rowdy guy he is, stuffs himself without giving a damn about proper table manners. His messy eating makes the others, sans Zero Two and Futoshi, feel a bit squeamish. Taking a seat beside Zorome, Miku takes hold of his hands and as usual, is the only one capable of scolding him. 

"Have some manners, will ya!" the redhead smacks Zorome on the head, hard. "Ugh, for someone so short, it's unbelievable how you could act like a pig.." her statement ticks the dirty blonde off. 

"First of all, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SHORT. Second, lighten up will ya, it's just us anyways.." Zorome mumbles while he continues devouring. His eyes wander to his friend Futoshi who was conversing happily with Kokoro. Looking back at an irritated Miku, he nonchalantly points at the two and deadpans, "Maybe if _you_ were as pretty as Kokoro chan, then maybe I'd listen to your nagging."

"WHY YOU LITTLE-

As the two fought, Futoshi's heart was beating like crazy seeing Kokoro so close to him. Donning a kimono, she wasn't wearing her usual headband, making her natural waves cascade loosely. She was currently giggling at a joke he made, making him marvel over how cute her laugh sound. 

' _She's like an angel…'_

Due to his intense staring at the gentle blonde, Futoshi fails to notice the cream bread slowly slipping off his hand. Only when it falls down his chest and smears cream all over him does he snap out of his dream like trance. "A-ah! My yukata!" he cries out. While he fussed, Kokoro tries calming him down as she reaches for a table cloth. Leaning towards him, she gently wipes off the blotches of cream from his clothes, the contact making the ginger pause and flush. 

"Stay still Futoshi kun, only a little more to go.." she tells him, focused on the task at hand.

"...Okay…" 

Futoshi stays still for a moment, just as she told him, but he could feel his heart thumping crazily as more blood found its way to his cheeks, especially when she raises her head up to meet his gaze; her long lashes framing her ocean blue eyes, and to his pleasant surprise, her hand lifts to wipe off probably some remaining cream on his face. 

"There. All better" she beams with a smile. _'SHE REALLY IS AN ANGEL!'_

"Kokoro chan! I-

"AH, WHY DOES FATTY HAVE TO GET THAT TREATMENT FROM KOKORO CHAN!" Zorome cuts off whatever Futoshi was about to say to profess his envy towards the said guy.

"DO YOU HAVE TO SHOUT EVERYTHING YOU SAY?" Miku yells back towards his brashness, making Zorome turn to her annoyed. 

"THAT APPLIES TO YOU TOO." He counters back, voice raising higher. Grabbing some sauce, he smears some on the redhead's cheeks, making Miku gasp in shock. Laughing at her messy face and reaction, he fails to dodge her counter attack as she smears some cream all over his face. With an evil gleam in one another's eyes, the two teens take hold of the anything within their reach, and to their friends' horror, proclaim at the top of their lungs.

"FOOD FIGHT!"

* * *

"You and Miku just HAD to throw food all over the place, huh?" Goro sighs, placing a hand over his temple. Moments ago, the whole dining area got messed up due to an argument from the two 'love birds.' Luckily, the caretaker was nice enough to let it pass, but not without making them clean the whole area (with Ichigo's initiative of course.) Now, all sore and sweaty from the cleanup, it was a relief for Goro to finally have relax and enjoy the hot springs.

"What? If she just stopped her nagging, then I would've never ever done it in the first place!" Zorome answers back, choosing to wade towards the more shallow part of the springs. Leaning towards the concrete, he stretches out his arms and folds them before resting his head on them. "Besides, it's all because fatty over here was flirting with his ' _girlfriend'_ " he mutters enviously, glaring at the certain ginger haired man. 

"Oh stop being a jellybean Zorome!" Futoshi brushes him off, his whole demeanor changing after being reminded once again of the moment he and Kokoro shared. Clasping his hands together, he says dreamily, 

"Ah~ Kokoro chan is just so beautiful and oh so kind! I swear I could see hearts flying everywhere earlier!" 

"Maybe you should get your eyes checked then." Mitsuru interrupts with his usual sarcastic tone, making Zorome cackle.

"Damn, for once, Mr. Broody here's right!" The blonde says in between laughs, but Futoshi remains unbothered. 

"-Ah...what I'd do to have Kokoro love me the way I love her...it'd be a dream come true for me!" He gushes with a blush, making all the other guys, except Hiro, cringe in disgust; the raven haired boy, on the other hand, finds himself growing curious over Futoshi's sudden declaration of love. 

"You love Kokoro?" Hiro asks, wading closer to Futoshi.

"Wasn't it obvious?" Zorome questions from afar.

Blushing at Hiro's query, Futoshi gives off a sheepish smile before answering. "Y-yeah, for a while now.." 

"How'd you know?" Hiro tilts his head in genuine interest but Futoshi finds himself fumbling on what to say, "I...u-um..i-it's like.." luckily, Goro approaches the two with a boyish smirk forming on his face. Slinging his arm on the plump boy's shoulders, he says, 

"It's like your heart's going crazy, isn't it Futoshi?" Goro winks. 

"y-yeah!" the ginger nods fervently before detailing his own feelings for Kokoro, "I-it's like, being around Kokoro chan...thinking about her, your chest tightens..In a good way of course!" Futoshi laughs nervously before continuing. "It's like, her whole presence spreads this warm, fuzzy feeling even better when I eat the tastiest red bean bun!" he blushes.

"To put it simply, I love Kokoro chan more than I love bread, okay?" Futoshi exclaims to the whole group. "A-and, maybe...once the timing is right..I'll try confessing!" 

A pregnant silence ensued after Futoshi's resolve, until a certain olive haired boy breaks it by hastily getting out of the warm spring water. Grabbing a towel, he heads off, but not before replying coldly, "..What a waste of time.." Once Mitsuru has left, the others find themselves taken aback by his sudden exit.

"Man, he's usually cold, but this is new!" Zorome comments, genuinely surprised. "He's probably in a bad mood or sumthin.."

Futoshi coughs, trying to ease the sudden awkwardness of the situation, before turning to Hiro would a small smile. "How about you Hiro? Don't you feel the same way about Zero Two?" his words automatically sends Hiro blushing like a tomato.

"I-I..!" Hiro chokes out, and seeing the boys' intent stares focused on him, he wishes he could just disappear at that moment. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, he submerges deeper into the water while murmuring, "I'm...not quite sure.."

"Is that so?" Futoshi says. "Well, you and Zero Two would make a great couple!" Hiro blushes harder, averting his eyes from the plump male. Goro couldn't help but chuckle over his best friend's flustered state. 

"Hey now, let's not trouble Hiro any further, kay?" Goro says in amusement, only to be pressed by Futoshi with the same topic. 

"How bout you, Goro? Have you ever been in love with someone?" taken aback, Goro's mind drifts off to an image of a certain bluenette. Smiling to himself, he responds to Futoshi with a playful wink.

"It's a secret~~"

"Mou, what a killjoy!" the ginger pouts, but quickly notices how quiet Zorome had become, which was quite weird given there was never a moment he wasn't loud and rowdy. "Yo, Zorome, how about y-" turning to check his friend, Futoshi instantly panics, followed by Goro and Hiro, the moment he sees the smaller guy passed out by the bath's corner.

"ZOROME!"

* * *

"Miku, you knew better than to engage in some petty food fight with Zorome.." Ichigo berates Miku with a small frown. With the mess the group had caused earlier, it was a miracle they weren't kicked out by the caretaker; still, it was stressful on their part and if it weren't for the hot springs, Ichigo would probably be irked for the whole day.

"I can't help it! It was Zorome's fault for being so annoying!" Miku snarls before wincing over her hair being scrubbed by Zero Two. 

"To be fair, both of you were in the wrong.." Ikuno chimes in, opting to just dip her feet into the water.

"You guys should talk to each other later.." Kokoro softly says while hugging her legs closer to her body. 

"Also.." Ichigo mutters while pinching the bridge of her nose in slight disappointment. "Zero Two, you just HAD to join in the food fight, did you?" Zero Two shrugs, continuing with her work on Miku's hair. Her fingers tangled themselves into the young girl's auburn tresses, making sure not a single scrap of food was left.

"What? You gotta admit, it was fun." she snickers but quickly shuts up once her eyes meet with Ichigo's unamused ones. "Yeah, ain't happening again." she whistles to herself, meanwhile, Miku was still fuming over Zorome's actions.

"Stupid Zorome..always so childish and annoying...even calling me ugly, HAH! Look who's talking, that shithead…" she grumbles angrily, making the other heave out a sigh. 

"It seems to me, by the looks of it, you like Zorome." Ikuno states it as a matter of fact, making the redhead burn in anger and embarrassment. "-the more you hate, the more you love, is it not?" Ikuno adds with a small smirk threatening to show on her lips. Zero Two cackles over the sudden teasing towards Miku.

' _Things are starting to get interesting!'_ she thinks to herself in amusement. Wanting to tease the redhead a little more, she leans down to whisper closely to the girl's ear.

"Perhaps, you really _do_ have feelings for that boy?"

"E-eh?!" Miku squeals, pulling away from Zero Two and almost stumbling on her feet. With red stained cheeks, she exclaims haughtily, "There's no way I'd fall for that idiot! He's nothing but a good for nothing troublemaker that has an ego the size of a hot air balloon! Plus, he's a super duper pervert who just wanna get into my sister's pants!"

"Yeah, and you still hang out with him.." Zero Two deadpans with Ikuno agreeing as well. This infuriates the redhead even further, making her turn to Kokoro, who looked like she was about to get out from the bath. Grabbing hold of Kokoro, who lets out a startled yelp, Miku cries out, 

"Ne, Kokoro! They're bullying me!" Miku whines cutely, making the blonde sweatdrop lightly.

"There, there, Miku…" she says while patting the girl on the head, an attempt to soothe Miku's raging emotions. "I'd love to stay, but I promised my grandma I'd call her by this time." carefully, she unwinds herself from the pouting girl's hold, "I'm really sorry! We can talk later, okay?" Kokoro waves to her and to the others as well before finally exiting the bath with a robe wrapped around her slender body. 

"Mou.." Miku huffs, before Zero Two dumps some water all over her head. 

After a few more rounds of teasing coming from Zero Two and Ikuno, the girls opt to just bask in the quietness of the place and just sit back and revel in the warmth of the hot springs until their bodies were flushed from the heat. All together, they get out from the bath and put on once more some freshly cleaned kimonos. Unbeknownst to them, while they managed to fully enjoy the benefits of the hot springs, the boys were frantic over their companion's unconscious _and_ naked state.

* * *

"Yes grandma, we're safe here…" Kokoro murmurs through her phone. Aimlessly, she walked through what seems to be a hidden garden of the inn, given that there were lots of different flowers peppering the earth. Once she puts down her phone, the blonde spots a familiar figure amidst the nightly facade. Walking closer, she immediately recognizes who it is and decides to call out to them. Happily, she waves,

"Mitsuru kun!"

Jumping at the sudden mention of his name, Mitsuru turns to see Kokoro approaching him with a gentle smile. Momentarily taken aback, he immediately assumes his aloof persona. "..Kokoro san.." he acknowledges with a quiet murmur. 

Smiling wider, Kokoro then notices that they were, indeed, in a garden of full of variety. Setting out to touch the succulents through its glass case, the blonde speaks out to Mitsuru through a question.

"Perhaps, you've taken a liking to plants?" 

The olive haired boy averts his gaze from her curious blue eyed and shakes his head. "Not really." 

"Then, why are you here?" she asks.

"I just wanted to be alone, that's all." he responds coolly, his fingers in hidden in his pocket to fiddle with his medicine bottle. Observant as she was, Kokoro notices what he was doing and decides to ask him about it. 

"Have you been drinking your meds well?" her concern leads to Mitsuru narrowing his eyes at her coldly, and Kokoro recognizes it as a signal to drop that specific subject. Flustered, she bows in apology. "I-I'm sorry! It's just..I'm still worried about what happened before.." she says with her head hung low, but as she hears a sigh escape the boy's lips, Kokoro decides to take a little peek from underneath her lashes.

" _That..._ was none of your business.." his words make her feel slightly uncomfortable, until he adds further, "This condition of mine is the least of my worries, so it shouldn't bother you.."

"..Mitsuru kun.." his name slips off her tongue in awe, when her eyes land upon a small field of bright red flowers. Captivated by its simple beauty, she moves past Mitsuru to look at them closely. "Wahh..such lovely camellia!" she exclaims excitedly before turning to her companion. "Ne, Mitsuru kun, have you ever heard of the language of flowers?" he remains silent but the gentle beauty continues on,

"These are camellia flowers; its meaning is 'perfect love.'" Approaching another set of flowers, she continues, "This is cattleya, which means 'alluring'. Oh! And that over ther-" realizing how quiet Mitsuru was being, Kokoro immediately stops her rambling and stares at him. As always, he had a stoic expression on his face, but Kokoro could see he didn't seem as cold as before; in fact, although she may be assuming things, he looked a little more relaxed. 

"Ne, is it okay for me to chat like this?" She asks shyly. 

"What do you mean?" he asks, slightly peeking at her crouched form.

"Well..you said you wanted to be alone, and..here I am rambling about something you might not be interested in.." her brows knit together worriedly. "I apologize if I'm bothering you…"

"It's a little too late for you to say that.." Mitsuru humours dryly, yet, this somehow makes Kokoro's eyes drop to the ground. Clearing his throat, he vehemently adds, "..it doesn't matter whether you keep talking about those kind of stuff...talking about what you're most passionate about, who am I to judge?"

Surprised by the reassuring nature of his words, despite his bluntness, Kokoro couldn't help but blurt out, "Really, that's cool.."

"Cool?" Mitsuru chokes out, not quite ready at the sudden praise. 

The blonde nods. "You're so straightforward in everything you do and say..I wish I could be like you more.." she pauses before smiling nervously, "-but, I'm too afraid to do so…"

"..You..-

' _Kokoro's so beautiful and oh so kind..'_ Futoshi's words from earlier rang inside his head, and thinking about it, Kokoro was indeed kind by default towards everyone she meets; it was like she had no flaw within her personality, yet, with her words, Mitsuru was quite sure that this girl who was constantly held at such high value, too, had secrets of her own. 

"-I'm not the good girl you guys keep on talking about…" she whispers but Mitsuru could hear every word perfectly, further proving his own assumptions; still, her business wasn't his to worry about, yet, he wonders why the moment their eyes meet, her face immediately reddens. 

"M-mitsuru kun..! No!" She stutters while hastily pulling on her kimono that has somehow hiked its way up her thighs. Her reaction leaves him clueless,

"Huh?" 

"You're always staring at Kokoro's thighs.." A voice suddenly has them both jumping in surprise. Being cornered by no other than his cousin, Ikuno, Mitsuru flushes in embarrassment over the false accusation.

"You're wrong!" He argues. "We were just talking and it so happens Kokoro san was in _that_ position!" he is left fuming when a visible smirk makes its way to his cousin's face. 

"Really now.." 

"Ikuno chan...what are you doing here?" Kokoro asks while standing up to pat her kimono from dirt. 

"Ah," Ikuno turns to Kokoro. "We just finished bathing and were on our way to our rooms, till I found you and Mitsuru here all alone." she points to the olive haired boy who was still grumbling over her teasing. While Kokoro wasn't looking, she flashes the boy a smug grin, to which Mitsuru instantly responds with a cold glare, when suddenly, a loud sound booms from the inn. Alerted, all three run back inside to see the other girls staring in disbelief at an unconscious Zorome being lifted by Goro.

"Zorome kun..?!" Kokoro gasps in concern.

"What the hell happened to him?!" Miku cries out while pointing to the knocked out guy. "Don't tell me Zorome couldn't take the heat?"

"Seems to be it.." Hiro mutters while scratching his cheek. 

' _Mou! This boy is so troublesome!'_ the redhead huffs and crosses her arms in disdain. "So what now?" she asks the boys with a small frown. 

"Um..I guess we'll be bringing him to a separate room?" Goro tells Miku, but to his surprise, the smaller girl approaches him and quickly unwinds Zorome out from his hold. With a slight struggle, she now had the sleeping boy leaning towards her thinner frame. "U-uh, what are you doing?" knowing just how brash these two could get when together, a cold sense of dread washes all over Goro. "You know..I could easily bring him to his room.."

"Nonsense!" Miku cuts him off with a dignified tone. "I could fare with this on my own, thank you very much!" she huffs as she begins walking away from the group. Some of the girls tried stopping her, but she just reassured them everything will be okay. "I'm used to this!" she beams with a confident grin.

' _Besides, only I could take responsibility for this idiot..!'_

* * *

' _U-uhn..my head feels like shit..'_

Releasing a groan of discomfort, Zorome opens his eyes to be instantly greeted with blurriness. Despite the intense light headedness he was feeling, the dirty blonde forces himself to sit up, flinching when he feels some damp cloth fall from his forehead. _'What the hell just happened?'_ he questions himself, trying to recall the events that happened earlier to no avail.

' _We were just chilling in the hot springs, after me and Miku...Miku!'_ Zorome jumps in shock when he sees a small tuft of red hair sticking out from the side of his bed. Immediately recognizing it as his friend, Zorome hastily shakes Miku who was asleep.

"OI! MIKU! MIKU!" Thanks to his loud voice, the redhead's eyes began to flutter open.

"Huh..?" she murmurs sleepily, but lets out a distressed shriek when Zorome suddenly pulls her to him, their foreheads bumping painfully. Angry, Miku impulsively headbutts the poor boy, sending him backwards in pure agony.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR..!" Zorome cries out while holding his throbbing forehead. 

"Same here! Why was your ugly face so damn close to mine!" she growls. Before Zorome could retaliate, another wave of fatigue washes all over him, making him plop down on his bed. 

"Ugh..this is no good.." He groans out before peering at Miku with half lidded eyes. "Why..are you here?" he huffs out, body slowly getting covered in sweat. "What the hell happened back there?"

Miku sighs. "Goro and the guys told us you fainted in the hot spring." she chuckles lightly over Zorome's disbelieving expression. "Quite manly, don't ya think?"

"So why are YOU here.." he mumbles under the blanket, embarrassment weighing over him.

"Taking care of you, of course."

Zorome scoffs, turning to his side so he isn't facing Miku. "You're doing a crappy job, that's for sure.." he grumbles, still upset over the headbutt. _'I mean, who the hell headbutts a sick person anyway?!'_

It was Miku's turn to scoff, yet, this time, she didn't do anything violent towards Zorome. Instead, she carefully picks up the cloth from his body and dampens it one more time with some cold water she had asked from the caretaker. Gently, she lifts the boy's messy bangs and places the cloth on his forehead; the contact eliciting a soft sigh of relief from Zorome's mouth.

"Be thankful. If I hadn't been doing this for an hour and a half, your fever wouldn't have gone down.." Miku scolds softly. "Mou, you really are such a pain at times!" 

"Tch, stop acting as if you aren't one as well.." he argues back with a rasped throat. Surprisingly, he hears the redhead giggle. 

"Well, you aren't wrong about _that!"_ she teases, "I don't mind being a pain if it means being a pain in _your_ ass!" Zorome couldn't help but let out a weak chuckle of his own. Slowly, he feels his body being lulled to sleep. 

"Stupid woman.." he yawns, eyes fluttering closed, until the last thing he sees is Miku smiling at him. 

"Just go to sleep, Zorome." he hears her say the moment his eyes shut close, "I'm not going anywhere for the time being.."

Unconsciously, his lips tug upwards into a smile. "I know that. Thanks Miku."

 _After all, we promised to be there for each other for forever, right?_

* * *

"Miku hasn't returned, huh.." Ikuno mumbles while placing her glasses at the night stand. Quietly, she tiptoes to Ichigo's bed in order to not wake Kokoro, who was now sleeping soundly in her mattress. The blonde girl was supposed to wait for Miku, as they promised to sleep together, but unfortunately, sleep had already taken over her. It was only Ikuno and Ichigo up now. 

"By the way, have you seen Zero Two?" Ichigo asks the dark haired woman once she sits beside her. The bluenette as well, was starting to feel a little drowsy; the effects of the hot springs.

"Mm.." Ikuno hums in reply, "I believe she said she was gonna explore a bit.." 

Ichigo sighs as she lets herself lay beneath the covers. Ikuno just stares at her as she prepares herself to sleep. "Mou..I just hope she isn't up to any trouble…" Ichigo yawns, placing her hair clip by the bedside. "Hey Ikuno, aren't you sleepy yet?"

"I'm good."

"Huh...good for you.." Ichigo drawls out. Her eyes were starting to grow heavy but she tried her best to keep them open. Staring at half lidded green eyes, Ikuno's heart couldn't help but jump. "Ne, today was stressful.." the bluenette murmurs, making Ikuno chuckle in amusement. 

"Ichigo, you're rambling." She muses, "You should get some sleep.." her orders went completely ignored by Ichigo, who just continued on with her sleepy mumbling. 

"-Miku and Zorome...along with Zero Two..it was all so troublesome..yet, I too, had loads of fun…" Ikuno smiles fondly at Ichigo's content look. 

"Really now?"

"Mhm!" the bluenette shoots her a drowsy grin as she exclaimed. "..I wish we could always have fun like this together…" her voice ends in a hushed tone, and before she finally succumbs to her nightly dreams, Ichigo whispers just loud enough for Ikuno to hear.

"...I love you, guys.." 

' _Really, this girl..'_ Ikuno sighs to herself. Scanning Ichigo's sleeping face, she memorizes all the details until it was forever ingrained in her mind; how Ichigo's lashes were long enough to touch her cheeks, how her nose would twitch from random intervals, or how her short blue strands would seemingly make its way to her face, framing it. Ikuno raises a hand to swipe away the hair on impulse, yet, she couldn't manage to pull away just yet.

With a trembling hand cupping the bluenette's cheek, her eyes trail downward to Ichigo's lips. Ikuno gulps. _'What am I doing? This is wrong!'_ she mentally berates herself, because one; her friend was sleeping and this can be seen as non consensual behavior, and two; whatever impulse she was feeling right now, wasn't right.

But oh, how Ichigo's naturally pink lips glistened thanks to the moonlight; how they'd cutely mumble incoherent words while she was asleep. In Ikuno's eyes, they resemble cotton candy, and with curiosity getting the better of her, she finds herself leaning down ever so slowly. 

' _If just for this night...I could..'_

Only inches remain;

.

.

.

.

.

' _You've always been so kind to me..so gentle and warm..'_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

Closer and closer…

.

.

.

.

.

'

 _For long I've..'_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

It was only a matter of time until-

.

.

.

.

.

' _Ichigo...I-_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

Just one, last, push….

' _I..'_

* * *

"Hmm..there isn't really much in this inn, huh…" Zero Two hums to herself while checking every corner of the interiors. Thanks to her semi photographic memory, she managed to memorize most of the details, which might prove handy once she starts doodling again.

' _Speaking of doodling, it's been quite awhile..'_ She thinks to herself. _'I hope I ain't rusty just yet..!'_ Before, Zero Two had all the time to draw since she was alone all the time, however now, she realizes how busy she suddenly was all thanks to her new friends and of course, her darling. A warm feeling bubbles up her chest.

' _Friends..'_

 _Yeah, that sounds nice.._

In a light mood, Zero Two finds herself skipping through the walls. "Too bad I couldn't hang with darling more!" she says to herself, "No matter! I could ask him to hang at the apartment anytime..!" just the thought makes her giggle in anticipation, when suddenly, her skipping stops when she hears soft sniffles echo across the halls. "Is that..crying?" scanning the inn, a scary thought enters her mind.

' _What if...don't tell me this place is haunted!'_ cold shivers run down her spine, but fortunately, she halts when she sees a figure sitting by the entrance of the inn. Listening carefully, she deduces that the sniffling, indeed, came from the figure. In fact, she could faintly distinguish quiet sobs eliciting from the person. Worried, Zero Two slowly approaches the figure, and in shock, stares down the back of a certain person she never expected to see in this vulnerable situation.

' _..Iku..no?'_


	36. Chapter 33: Moon's beautiful, isnt it?

AHHH I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR THIS CHAPTER! Also, I recommend reading this fic in the app, just in case the whole text gets italicized or something. (ugh)

* * *

"I..kuno?"

At the sudden call of her name, said girl turns to see someone she least expects,- sharp teal eyes full of question framed by vivid pink locks and distinct red horns that shined by the moonlight. Slowly, the pinkette walks towards her, immediately plopping down with a thud once they were near each other. With an unwavering gaze, Ikuno could feel herself tense up, prompting her to speak; 

"Zero Two...fancy seeing you here.." 

"Same sentiments." the pinkette retorts, squinting at the dark haired maiden's unruly appearance and reddened eyelids. "I heard some sniffling..are you okay?" she asks, genuine concern lacing over her voice. Ikuno shakes her head then brings her hand to her face to wipe off any remaining tears. Shooting a small, shaky smile, she says;

"This..these are allergies.." she sniffles, "I'm fine Zero Two, thanks for asking." 

Said girl shrugs, "Well if that's the case..then I'll be going now." Zero Two says before heading off. Once she's out of sight, Ikuno heaves out a deep sigh. Hugging her knees tighter to her lithe frame, another wave of pain hits her chest as memories from earlier begin haunting her conscience one more time…

* * *

 _FLASHBACK_

" _Ichigo...I.."_

 _It was only a matter of time before she finally seals the deal between her and her precious friend. One last push till the final centimeters disappear, and so does her own doubts and regrets. To Ikuno, seeing how peaceful Ichigo was, there was no way in turning back. The sin will be done and it will be hers to bear. If to sin is so sweet, then she'd gladly accept hell._

 _Just three more centimeters_

 _Two.._

 _One.._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Yet, before she could touch the most enticing temptation laid bare before her, a cold dread washes all over her. Here Ikuno was, practically hovering over Ichigo….Ichigo.._

 _Her kind and precious friend…_

 _..Friend…_

 _So naive, and so pure..to taint her with sin..to satisfy her own desires.._

' _ **selfish..So selfish!'**_

' _ **Ichigo has done nothing but kindness towards you..she accepted you..loved you and trusted you with all her heart!'**_

" _I-I…"_

' _ **-and here you are, all over your PRECIOUS FRIEND'S sleeping body, with nothing on your mind but yourself and your twisted obsession for her!'**_

' _ **Disgusting! Utterly disgusting!'**_

 _Tears began pouring from her cheeks, staining the bluenette's sleeping face. "I-I...can't..!" Ikuno cries softly, the guilt of the situation overwhelming her. She hears shuffling and turns to see Kokoro peacefully dreaming as well; all the more for her to feel angry at herself. With trembling legs, Ikuni hastily pulls away from Ichigo, hot tears on her face; immense self hatred pooled within her gut, thus, the impending need to vomit started kicking in._

' _ **Why do I have to feel this way? Why did it have to be me? Why did it have to be Ichigo, my friend for God Sakes?! Why must I always hurt?'**_

 _ **WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY?!**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

' _ **...Because you're disgusting…'**_

" _Disgusting..I'm disgusting..!" she wheezes, before running towards the door._

' _ **DISGUSTING!'**_

* * *

"I'm...disgusting…" Ikuno murmurs sorrowfully to herself. The pain she was feeling right now was making it so hard to breathe, the need to spit out bitter bile was coming once more. _'If only I could get rid of these feelings, then maybe I wouldn't suffer-_

 _LICK_

"Hyie!" the sudden sensation of warm, wetness on her neck alarms her, making Ikuno screech out a surprised yelp. Turning to see where that suddenly came from, she finds Zero Two once again staring back at her, this time, with a smug expression. With a hand on her exposed neck, Ikuno says, "W-what the hell are you doing?!" although, annoyed as she may be, the dark haired girl couldn't stop the blush forming on her cheeks. 

Zero Two hums, amusement written all over her face, "I taste a secret~" she teases while licking her lips. 

"W-wha.." Ikuno stutters out, taken aback, before trying to divert Zero Two's attention over a feeling the pinkette isn't clearly over with the talk they shared earlier. "I thought you were gonna head off somewhere?" 

A serious glint in her teal eyes shine greatly, making Ikuno waiver. "Did you really think I wouldn't catch up?" Zero Two exclaims. "Something's obviously up, and I ain't going nowhere till you tell me about it." the girl in question sighs as she takes off her glasses. She was too tired to tell anyone what happened. 

"You...why do you even bother? It's not like its your business or anything.." Ikuno tries reasoning out, only to make the pinkette scoff. 

"Hey, can't a girl comfort a sad person? A friend no less?" Zero Two speaks out before taking a seat across the other woman, ready to listen to her woes, yet, all she was given was a stubborn silence. A little ticked, Zero Two speaks, albeit with more force, once more; "Yah, if you think I'd give up so easily, then guess again." still silence.. 

"If you keep things like that, then I have no choice but to tell Ichigo..-"

"Stop!" the sudden outburst nearly makes Zero Two stumble. With Ikuno's hands holding onto her tightly, she has no choice but to stare down at light green eyes full of panic and.. _'hurt..?'_ "Please Zero Two...don't tell Ichigo anything.." her voice falters into a murmur. Once she slowly lets go of Zero Two, another silence ensues between them, until the horned girl finally puts two and two together. 

"..It's about Ichigo, isn't it?" Zero Two asks carefully while looking over at Ikuno. Seeing the flash of pain in her eyes confirms her suspicions.

"What happened?"

Ikuno bows her head, too ashamed to face Zero Two. "You...you wouldn't wanna know.." she mumbles  
.

"Try me." the horned girl challenges.

"Please no..cause if you do..you'd find me disgusting.." heaviness weighs down on Ikuno's chest with every word uttered. "I hate it..how disgusting I am..if only I were like the others..if only I wasn't born like this..I..I!" she doesn't care anymore as fresh hot tears spill from her eyes. "I hate myself so much, I wish I could just die!"

 **THUMP!**

A light sting from her head paralyzes the emotional girl for a bit, till she realizes what Zero Two just did to her. _'Did she really just-?'_ slowly lifting her head, she unexpectedly sees the pinkette smirking at her with an unknown emotion glazed all over her intimidating stare. "Zero..Two..?" was all Ikuno could say as the said girl only sighs before laughing ruefully. 

"I'm sorry, but did that hurt?" Ikuno slightly nods. "Good, cause someone's gotta smack some sense in ya." Zero Two exclaims with a smirk. 

"..What do you mean?" she asks the pinkette, clearly confused. 

"You're worried I'd find you disgusting…" Zero Two starts, stifling a chuckle. "You're worried over someone who has been avoided by, just because of these?" she points to her horns, "I've been called different things, disgusting, too actually. Who am I to call you that, huh?"

"But-

"Look, if you really see yourself as such, then why not open up to someone disgusting as well?" Zero Two smiles wickedly. "I mean, at least you don't _look_ disgusting.." 

"Zero Two..I.." Ikuno feels the guilt bubble up once more, but Zero Two immediately brushes it off. 

"Don't worry, It's not a big deal to me anymore." she says reassuringly, "I found my darling now, that's all that matter to me now.." Ikuno smiles sadly at the thought of having someone to cherish and to lean on, but with what she is right now, all she expects is nothing but despair. No one will understand her, not even Zero Two or Ichigo.

' _Ichigo..'_

"Hey, you're spacing out again.." Zero Two flicks her forehead before grinning. "Don't make me lick you again or something.." this momentarily breaks Ikuno out of her stupor as she quickly backs away from the pinkette with a blush. 

"N-no please, thank you!" 

"Heh, I'm just trying to lighten up the mood!" Zero Two says lightly before turning to look at Ikuno once more. "Hey..if you really are uncomfortable sharing things with me, it's okay..but if you do, I promise I wouldn't judge you or anything.." back then, Zero Two would never, ever, let out sincere words to anyone else. Truth be told, she wouldn't even give a single damn over people's problems. To her, these are only weaknesses that should be best ignored, as it wouldn't change the fact that she, herself, would be ignored as well thanks to her condition. At most, seeing people cry made her scoff at laugh at them in her own, twisted way; yet, right now, things have changed. 

Finding her darling, her world had greatly expanded. She gained friends, something she never dreamed to have, and felt what it's like to share happiness, and now, pain. She at least felt a little more human than what others claim her to be thanks to her horns. 

Oh how a fated meeting could change a person.

"So Ikuno, tell me-

"-I..tried to kiss Ichigo…" her words momentarily stops Zero Two. Seeing the silence as a bad sign, Ikuno continues on shakily, "-earlier, while she was sleeping.." 

" Is that so.." the pinkette says in deep thought. "Why? Was it out of a whim?" 

"No!" the dark haired girl replies hastily before holding back once more. "It's not like that all...I..these feelings of mine, are just so jumbled right now, I couldn't think clearly!" she cries out. "these feelings are so confusing, I feel like I'm about to burst!" 

"Your feelings..what's it like?" the pinkette carefully asks. 

"Seeing Ichigo smile or cry..brings a tightness to my chest. I want to be there for her through the best and worst times.." Ikuno speaks out slowly, but with all her feelings flowing out. "To me, Ichigo is someone precious..everything about her, I know and I wanna know more! What makes her eyes twinkle in joy, how her nose slightly scrunches up when she's about to cry, the way she sleeps on her right side..all of those quirks of hers, I want all to myself.." she shakes.

"These feelings..are too strong that it scares me! I know that I'm not myself, and it really scares me.." Zero Two continues to listen to her friend's woes. "I'm afraid that there may come a day where I couldn't control myself, how a dark part of me would want to actually _monopolize_ Ichigo..and I wouldn't want that for her..my friend.."

"B-but!" Ikuno exclaims in panic, "I couldn't bear the fact of losing her! Without Ichigo, it hurts! It hurts!" Zero Two watches as Ikuno's resolve slowly breaks down as her breathing becomes frantic. With contradicting thoughts invading her mind, the dark haired maiden clutches unto her head; fisting and pulling out long strands of hair.

"Ikuno" Zero Two calls out but fails to gain her attention.

"These..! These heart of mine aches to be with Ichigo, but this is wrong! So so wrong! I don't wanna hurt her, yet I don't wanna lose her to anybody else!" Ikuno sobs, "I'm so messed up I..I.."

' _Selfish! Selfish! Selfish!'_

' **You're disgusting!'**

"I hate this..I wish these feelings would just disappear…" _'For Ichigo..and for myself..'_

Overwhelmed by finally letting every bit of burden out of her system, Ikuno continues to sob uncontrollably. The sight must've been unruly for the pinkette accompanying her, but at this point, she couldn't stop herself. Right now, Zero Two knew just how messed up she was under her cool exterior. A part of Ikuno knew there was no turning back, all her secrets are now let loose, yet, what she doesn't expect is how an arm extends towards her, to pull her into a warm embrace, or rather, side hug. Looking up from tear stained lashes, she sees Zero Two looking ahead with an unreadable expression.

Yet when she gazes at her eyes, she too, identifies a sadness hidden beneath its twinkle.

"You.." Zero Two murmurs softly, "You must be really in love with Ichigo, huh.."

' _I-in love..?!'_ Ikuno blushes at the revelation but chooses to remain silent. 

"Knowing a person..wanting them all to yourself to the point of selfishness...isn't that normal?" her words strike a chord in Ikuno.

' _Normal…'_

' _But we both are..'_

"It doesn't matter on what you are and who you are..those feelings of yours, are _real."_ Zero Two says with a smile. "The happiness, sadness, and everything in between..all of those makes your feelings for her special. It'll be such a waste throwing it all away, don't you think?" 

"Y-yes..it is.." Ikuno trembles. 

"Then! If I were you, embrace those feelings of yours, and keep on going!" the pinkette squeezes her friend closer to her body. "Never be ashamed of what you feel because if you do, you'll be living a life full of regret..!" 

"Zero Two..!" Ikuno finally breaks with Zero Two's words of encouragement. "I..thank you!" she sobs on the girl's shoulder, thankful with how she finally finds the strength to accept her own feelings. Somehow, as more tears fall, she could feel herself getting lighter. The pinkette notices this and sighs. 

"To love someone..is so beautiful..you're beautiful.." she murmurs to Ikuno.

With nothing but sniffles filling the warm, summer night, Zero Two couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"Hey..you sure you alright?" Ikuno smiles over the pinkette's concern over her. Once she has poured all her feelings out, she finally felt a bit better enough to go back. Drying what's left of her tears, she sends Zero Two a reassuring smile.

"Yeah..it's getting pretty late too.." Ikuno murmurs before preparing to head back. "..Ne, aren't you coming as well..?" she asks, turning back to see Zero Two shaking her head. 

"I wanna check out something first." Zero Two explains. "It would be a waste if I don't enjoy what's left of this fine night!" 

"Mou.." Ikuno sighs, yet a small smile makes its way on her lips. "..just don't do trouble, okay?" she laughs when she sees the horned girl pout.

"Of course I won't!"

"Yeah, yeah.." Ikuno chuckles. Before heading off, she manages to whisper just loud enough for Zero Two to hear. "Zero Two...thanks for everything...I truly appreciate it.." she turns to see Zero Two turned at her as well, with a ghost of a smile etched unto her somber expression- to Ikuno, it seemed her whole being took on a more ethereal glow under the moonlight. 

"Say Ikuno.." she sees Zero Two speak before turning back. "Those feelings of yours..remember to cherish them.." 

"Eh?" Ikuno is left standing in confusion, especially with the words the pinkette left her with heading off to God knows where. She would never forget the melancholic tone in her voice when she said;

"..until nothing else remains but memories.."

' _..Memories of a distant past..'_

* * *

Hiro couldn't sleep.

It's been hours, and he still couldn't get over all the tossing and turning; his roommate must be annoyed at him by now. _'Sorry, Goro..'_ he thinks to himself, silently thanking God his best friend was sleeping soundly; still, this doesn't help his tirelessness at all. 

From a long trip on the train, to cleaning up all the ruckus from earlier, to finally relaxing in the hot springs, Hiro figured he would be knocked out in a couple of minutes just like the rest, but noooo. Here he was, just aimlessly staring at the ceiling. He really doesn't know what was keeping him awake- was it because of the humid nightly breeze? Or perhaps there were some things he'd still want to do? Maybe it was a combination of both. 

' _I think I need some air..'_ he thinks to himself, carefully getting out from the sheets. Quietly, he tiptoes out of his and Goro's room. Fortunately, he managed to slip out without his friend knowing.

' _That's Goro for you.'_ he chuckles to himself, reminded of his friend's deep sleeping nature.

Outside of their room, the inn's lights were already dimmed, and if it weren't for the moonlight, the place would've already given Hiro the creeps. Although, with nothing much to see with the interior, coupled with the overbearing warmth, he decides to take a little walk outside. Once he exits the inn, Hiro immediately lets out a sigh as a much colder air brushes his skin. 

"Now this is more like it.." Maybe if he had done this sooner, then he would've gotten fast asleep in no time; although, there was something in him preventing him to do so. Something he isn't quite sure of. 

"Maybe summer really just isn't for me.." Hiro sighs to himself. 

A few moments of walking later unknowingly brings him farther from the inn. Hiro pauses when he seemingly approaches a bridge. Since it was night time, he wasn't quite sure if he was seeing some figure so he had to squint harder to confirm. When he does though, he is left speechless seeing a certain person all by herself.

' _Zero Two?'_

Contrary to all the times they were together, Hiro is entranced with how the way she leaned ever so carefully by the railings with her pink flowing locks dancing in the air; how her lashes touched her cheeks as she blissfully basked in the warm glow of the night sky; or how her lips usually curved into a playful grin was now etched into a smile so serene, it made Hiro's heart flood with a warmth so tender 

And when she finally acknowledges his presence, he realizes just how long he was staring at her, making him burn bright red on the spot.

"Darling?" she calls out to him, light confusion dawning on her face. "What are you doing here?" 

"I..I.." Hiro tries speaking up, but the way Zero Two tilts her head towards him distracts him greatly. "I..don't know?" _'How great of you to say that, Hiro..'_ he mentally berates himself, and if he could, he would've face palmed right on the spot..

And when Zero Two bursts out giggling, he feels his heart thumping wildly. "Did you actually forget?" she tells him, eyes sparkling in pure mirth. He recognizes her teasing expression, and this makes Hiro's lips puff up in a pout as he settles right beside her. In silence, they both enjoy the nightly scenery, with Hiro peeking at the horned maiden from time to time-tracing the path of her gaze focused on the sky.

"How about you, Zero Two? What are you doing, outside?" Hiro asks her. 

"Hmm? Perhaps I forgot as well..?" the pinkette shrugs before smirking towards his direction. "Nah, I'm just kidding. I just wanted to see the sky. That's all."

"The sky?" 

"Mhm!" She nods, "You see darling...it's gonna rain soon, so I want to look at the stars before it does!" 

"Rain?" Hiro questions the pinkette. "But it's summer, right?" No way was it gonna rain tonight, Hiro thought, because of how hot and humid the night was. Zero Two shakes her head at him and shoots a knowing smirk. 

" _Believe me_ , darling." she challenges; "It _will_ rain." Hiro just nods at her claim, it was no use arguing with her, after all. They continue on with the silence until Zero Two suddenly points at the sky with childlike wonder; the raven haired male slightly jumps in surprise. 

"Look! Look!" She cries happily. "Darling it's _Orihime sama_! And oh..! It's _Hikoboshi sama!"_ Reflected indeed in her eyes were the stars of Vega and Altair twinkling brightly in the sky. Hiro immediately recognizes them as the deities from the Tanabata legend. 

"You know the Tanabata as well, Zero Two?" Hiro asks said girl whose attention was still towards the sky. Turning to face him, Hiro could clearly see the excitement in her eyes. 

"Of course I do! Their story.." Zero Two points out once more to the two stars respectively, "...was heartbreaking, but also so beautiful.." she smiles for a split second before her expression takes a more somber tone. Hiro notices this; 

"Zero Two..?" He reaches out, "Are you oka-

"Ne Darling, would you want to hear a story?" the pinkette suddenly speaks out.

"Huh?" he pulls back slightly. "Oh, um..sure I guess?" 

"It's similar to the Tanabata legend..although I'm not sure if you know it!" she gives out a small chuckle before continuing, teal orbs glued to the pond underneath reflecting the starry sky slowly being filled by dark clouds. "The story's called 'The Beast, and The Prince'.."

"In the deepest, darkest part of a forest lived a tribe, hidden from all. They had large wings on their backs and were beautiful, but they were what would be called beasts. Among them was their princess, who had huge, ashen wings. Their law said that once one turned sixteen, they would be allowed to fly outside the forest…" Zero Two began in a subdued manner,

"-And on her sixteenth birthday, the princess took flight to the world beyond the forest. She crossed the steep mountains and the surging rivers and reached a world of humans. The moon shone brightly in the sky.."

"...She landed in a castle garden, where she found a young man gazing up at the moon. The princess hid in the bushes and stared at the young man, and for the first time, love bloomed in her heart. But he was clearly of a different race. A beast and a human could never be together…"

"..And so, the princess went to see a witch who lived in the same forest and said, "I want to live as a human. I want to be united with him." The witch replied like so: "I can help you if you offer me your wings. But keep this in mind. No matter how you disguise yourself, you are a beast, and you will consume the prince's life one day."

"The princess ripped off her wings and was assaulted by pain far more intense than she had ever felt. She could never fly again."

"..Even so, she smiled happily, with tears of joy streaming down her face. "I'm human! I'm human! I'm the same as him now!"

"..The princess once again set out for the land of humans, this time on foot. In the desert, she spotted a group of people. "Oh no! Is there anyone who can save him?!" There lay a young man, his leg bitten by a snake. The princess rushed to his side and sucked the venom out from his wound. "Thank you, o brave lady. I am the prince of these lands." It was the same young man she had met in the castle. "I owe my life to you. Please marry me"

"A wedding ceremony was held soon after. The priest asked the princess, clad in a wedding dress of pure white, "Do you vow to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do." The two exchanged rings, and when the priest said so, they sealed their vows with a kiss. And cheers rang out across the land. "Bless the brave girl who saved our prince's life!" The whole kingdom celebrated their marriage."

"Humans! Humans! They have neither the wings to fly nor the claws or fangs to hunt. Such weak and frail creatures, but they are so, so warm. Humans are wonderful!"

"After the wedding, she lived happily as the princess of a human land. She supported the prince in his work, traveled the world, and saw oceans studded with glints of sapphire, sparkling grasslands, and auroras that swayed like raging flames."

"The princess took the prince's and said to him with a smile on her face, "Grab on to me and never let go…."

"But the princess's happiness was short-lived…" Zero Two frowns

"She woke up one night to a pain that threatened to rend her asunder and found her body turning into one of a beast. "Why? I asked you to make me human!" On her back were jet-black wings, tearing through her flesh and skin to spread. "Using magic comes at a price. You've attained plenty of happiness as a human. Now, it is time for you to lose yourself and turn into an ugly monster," the witch of the forest whispered to her. "However, if you kill the person you love most, you will be freed of your curse and return to the beast you originally were."

"The princess gazed at her beloved prince as her claws reached for his throat. She loved him more than anything and anyone, but the desire to rip his neck apart welled up inside her. As she desperately tried to clench her fist and stop herself, her claws dug into her skin, and blood started gushing out."

"If I kill the prince, I will be freed of this curse..."

"...With tears streaming down her face, she kissed the prince on the cheek…." Taking a deep breath, she goes to the conclusion,

"...When the prince awoke, the princess was no longer beside him...Instead, the bed was covered in jet-black feathers and in profound sadness, the prince searched all across the land for her….but nobody had seen the princess…" Zero Two ends in a whisper, opting to peer at Hiro's expression. To her surprise, she sees a melancholic glimmer in his aquamarine eyes.

"Is..that all?" he faintly asks, to which she nods. 

"That's it." 

"Oh.." Zero Two notes the change to his disposition; he seemed to be truly upset with the story. "..how tragic…" his voice shakes. 

"Don't worry darling, it's just a story.." she says with a reassuring smile but he quickly defers her statement. 

"I know that!" he exclaims to her sudden surprise. "I-it's just...one of the saddest things I've ever heard.." Hiro tilts his head down to the ground. "I-if I could..if I had the chance..! 

I'd rewrite the story to a more happy one. Wouldn't you think, Zero Two..?" he ends with a smile, momentarily bringing the horned girl into a stupor,

"..Is that..so..?"

 _Ne, how come that story of yours is so sad!_

" _Hm? Is it really that sad to you?"_

 _Of course it is! The beast leaves forever and the prince doesn't even find her in the end!_

" _Ehh? That's really the end?! I thought I was just missing a page or two..?"_

 _No not really- Hey, why are you crying?!_

" _B-because! *hic* it really is sad!"_

 _Hey hey..don't cry..! Tell you what, I have an idea!_

" _Idea..?"_

 _When we grow up, let's rewrite the story into a happy one!_

" _Eh? Why do we have to wait until then..?"_

 _Cause we have lots to learn about writing and drawing stuff! Now what do you say? Zero Two!_

"...wo...Z..T..w.o"

"..Zero Two..?"

 _huh?_

"Zero Two..you're.." Hiro looks on to her with a worried expression. Once she suddenly became unresponsive, he tried shaking her to no avail. Luckily, by the call of her name, it seems that she was slowly gaining her senses back as her eyes slowly focused on his own. 

"..You're..crying?" he whispers, staring at the drops falling down her cheeks. 

"What..?" Zero Two could only utter in disbelief. Truth be told, when she swipes a hand to her face, she feels cold dampness- yet, it seems that more and more drops keep falling, not from her eyes, at least; 

"These ain't tears.." she reassures the raven haired teen with a smile. Pulling away from Hiro's hold, she looks back to the sky and sees she indeed was correct, rain droplets begin accumulating from the sky down to the earth, bathing her and Hiro. Hiro panics when he sees the both of them getting wet; what if they catch a cold after? That would be troublesome no doubt. 

"Zero Two!" he calls out while starting to head back to shelter, "Let's go before the rain worsens..-" his breath hitches once he turns back to see the pinkette in all her enigmatic glory. There she was, pink locks damp and messy with a few strands sticking to her forehead. Her white dress clung to her body and to be honest, she looked like a mess; but the way her eyes shone brightly amidst the gloom; the way she twirled and jumped like a child playing in the rain, yet also with a grace only she could manage; and most importantly, the way she was able to laugh and smile so freely under the pouring rain made Hiro feel warmer than colder. He stares at her for so long that the moment their eyes met, and she flashes her usual, playful grin at him, it was at _that_ moment Hiro realizes one thing.

The moments they've shared, the time they've spent and all the good and worst they've managed to overcome- all these come crashing down on him like a wave. A million of questions still ran inside his head, but this time, in the middle of the summer rain, does he find the answer he was looking for.

He, indeed, was undoubtedly in love with Zero Two.

And somehow, a lot of things suddenly became a lot more clearer to him. Now, Hiro truly understands what Futoshi was talking about, or what Goro was implying to him. Truthfully, he was feeling quite stupid for not noticing it sooner; or perhaps, he knew from the bottom of his heart but he just chose to deny it in fear of his own insecurities.

But now, Hiro's realization overwhelms him- adrenaline coursed through his whole being. He was more aware with the pinkette's existence, if that was even possible.

He wants to make her happy.

He wants to know everything that's going on in her the deepest depths of her mind

He wants to be part of her life till she no longer needs him.

He wants to love her till it hurts,

And for once...he wants to be loved back as well.

Opening his mouth to speak, Hiro finds himself being cut off by no other than Zero Two, herself."Ne darling, there's something I'd like to tell you.." despite being curious, Hiro chooses to keep quiet and let the pinkette continue. "This summer has been memorable for me!" she smiles at him in gratitude. "Thanks to you darling, and to the others too, I was able to experience stuff I haven't done at all!" 

"I.." Hiro gulps, "..well, as long as we're together..we could do anything,right?" 

"Mhm!" Zero Two nods fervently, however, her excitable expression is soon replaced by a frown. "Although...there is ONE thing I really wanted to do this summer.." she crosses her arms in frustration.

"And that is..?"

"It's the Tanabata Festival!" she exclaims in a huff. "-But! Gramps just HAD to end summer vacation so early! And right before the actual festival.." the pinkette sighs and mumbles. "..I really did wanted to go.." 

"-Well then, why don't we go to the festival? It wouldn't be a hassle, I suppose." Hiro suggests, resulting in Zero Two turning to him with a childlike sparkle in her eyes. "It's on the 7th, which is a Saturday-I think?" he further adds, 

"Really? We can go?" Hiro responds to her with a smile. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Zero Two, overwhelmed with happiness, runs towards the raven haired teen and glomps at him, unbothered by their damp and disheveled appearances. "We gotta tell the others as well!" she chastises while squeezing him tighter. 

Hiro blushes nervously over their closeness. He should've been used to this by now, but because of his sudden realization, he couldn't help but feel giddier than before. Hesitantly placing his hands on her upper back, he speaks with his words muffled by her hair, "I-I..was thinking..if we could go together..j-just the two..of us.." he sees Zero Two jerk back and look at him with wide eyes, before smiling fondly.

"I'd like that too, darling!" They stay in the same position for a while, smiling at each other.

"I..-" he begins, _'It wouldn't hurt to try, right?'_

 _._

 _._

 _._

"ACHOO!" Zero Two sniffles. "Oh no no no! Let's head back before we catch a cold, darling!" she says while holding his hand; Hiro notices, that her hand was smaller, compared to his, and her fingers were white and slender-

' _And she's so warm..'_

His heart skips a beat, but nevertheless, he interlocks his fingers to hers, like two puzzle pieces fitting each other. He really was an idiot for not noticing it sooner, but he'd make up for it. He doesn't think he'd feel the same way for others; No, cause for him, Zero Two is all he sees.

.

.

.

.

.

"...ve you.."

A whisper made within the pitter pattering of rain drops.

"Hrm?" his first love turns to look at him. "Did you say something, darling?" Hiro blushes madly. Once he realizes what he has done, he turns into a stuttering mess,

"I-I..u-um.. _The moon's beautiful, isn't it_?" he exclaims with a nervous grin. 

Zero Two blinks once, twice, before bursting out in a fit of giggles. "Silly darling! ,There's no moon in the sky tonight!" she points out to the sky filled with rain clouds, yet slowly, her lips curve into a smile,

.

.

"But you're right. The moon really _is_ beautiful.."

* * *

FINALLY, THE POOR BOY REALIZES HE LOVES ZERO TWO AFTER 1202109 YEARSSS!

Also, the statement _The moon's beautiful isn't it?_ is a more indirect way of saying 'I love you' in Japanese soooo...kekeke 

Anyways, thanks for reading and tune in for the next chapters!


	37. Chapter 34: Of Ice Cream and Confessions

"Daarliing!"

Hiro turns slowly to find Zero Two running towards him, a bright twinkle evident in her teal colored eyes as her lips contorted into a toothy grin. Her pink locks trailed as she strode with her long legs, and he could see she was wearing her red muffler even during the hot weather, something he had gotten used to after spending so much time with the pinkette. Her most glaring feature, however, were the two bony protrusions sitting just above her hairline- its red color seemingly reflecting the sun's rays. 

To most people, they grew wary of the girl and her 'horns', but to her friends, they knew of her real condition and came to accept who she was, not for her looks but rather, for her personality. For Hiro, every part of Zero Two, from her eyes to her horns, he came to love and cherish. _'After all, she came to accept me, weaknesses and flaws included.'_

It might've been a bit late realizing such, but Hiro was now 100 % sure of his deep feelings for the pinkette, and that alone was now his reason to keep on with his life. 

"Mornin', Zero Two." his lips curve into a smile when he feels her hand grab onto his. She was slightly taller than him, but it was a wonder how small her hand was compared to his. Feeling a bit more bold, Hiro proceeds to lace their fingers tightly, heart skipping a beat when Zero Two smiles fondly at the gesture.

"Shall we go, darling?"

 _She feels warm_

"Mhm."

* * *

"OI OI OI" As usual, Zorome's voice breaks the room's peaceful morning, earning the young man dirty looks from his classmates, especially from a certain redhead. "It's only 7am and ya'll really have the guts to act all lovey dovey and crap?" The dirty blonde continues with a disgusted expression as he points a single finger at both Hiro and Zero Two. Blushing, the raven teen tries sputtering out an explanation while his partner has a small, smug smirk. 

"Um..this is..uh.." Hiro couldn't help but lift a finger to his face, cheeks growing hotter by the minute.

 _SMACK_

"Yeowch!" Zorome hollers, tiny tears forming in his eyes due to the sudden stinging feeling on the back of his head. He glares as he finds Miku looking at him with her brows furrowed and a notebook in her grasp, immediately sensing she used it as her weapon against him. "What the hell, Miku!" 

"Mou!" the redhead breathes out in a huff. "You really should stop minding other people's businesses, y'know?" 

"Well tell that to yourself.." 

"Excuse me?" turning towards the muttering blonde, Miku's ahoge twitches in annoyance- a strange feature only her and Zorome possesses. With the boy coming back at her with harsh remarks, the two barely began their daily brawl as Zero Two suddenly speaks up; 

"Well, well.." amusement drips like honey in her voice, "..it seems like you two seem to be lovey dovey today, as well..!" both ahoge bearing teens turn red due to annoyance and embarrassment. 

"LIKE HELL WE ARE!" The way the two shout in unison makes both Hiro and Zero Two snicker. 

"Oh.." Hiro feels an arm wrap around his shoulders. Looking up, he sees no other than his roommate and best friend, Goro eyeing him with a teasing smirk. Behind him, was Ichigo, who had a small smile on her lips as she watched the previous scene unfold before her eyes. "..looks like someone woke up at the right side of the bed..!" the blonde man joked, making the raven teen lightly smack his arm away. 

"Jeez! What's that supposed to mean?" Hiro chastised with a light chuckle. 

"You seem very happy." it was Ichigo's turn to say, making him smile sheepishly, for he knew the real reason why he felt a hundred times lighter the past few days. 

"Really? I didn't seem to notice.."

"Mm.." the bluenette shakes her head at her friend's bashful nature, not bothering to hide the small giggle that errupts from her lips. "happiness suits you, Hiro." turning her gaze away, she looks at a certain pinkette who seemed to have a calm look on her face, something you wouldn't see if it was from their past encounters. 

"Good morning, Zero Two." said girl's mouth twitches upward at the greeting.

"..Yo" 

With the two girls looking at one another with unspoken camaraderie, both are rendered surprised when Miku asks the group, "Hey, by the way, have you guys texted Kokoro?" the others shake their head, making the redhead's brows furrow in worry. "It's quite unusual she's late.." 

"Kokoro san had a lot to do last night.." A voice answers Miku's queries, to which she quickly recognizes as Mitsuru's.

"Mitsuru..!" 

As usual, he had his head held high in disdain towards them, green eyes showing mild annoyance. Beside him was Ikuno, who was already making her way towards Ichigo and Goro. "That girl.." Mitsuru mutters, "She just really had to insist doing all the reports for the last semester.." knowing Kokoro the most, Miku quickly understands the teen's words, letting out a sigh of her own.

"Really.." _'She's so hopeless!'_

"She thinks she could finish everything just fine, but look at her..!" usually, cool and collected, Mitsuru's exasperation surprises everyone. "Now she's running late, and probably exhausted..not efficient at all!" he grumbled, amusing his cousin to no end. 

"Well.." Ikuno smirks, making Mitsuru scowl harder. "..You've gotta admit though, Kokoro is still pretty admirable...I mean, she puts up with your attitude, so there's that." she snickers, earning a cold glare from her cousin that could rival even the harshest of winters.

"Hmph."

"It's true, y'know." Ikuno says. 

"Hey, wait, speaking of Kokoro chan-" Zorome intervenes, eyes scanning the classroom; "I bet fatty has something to cheer her up!" 

"Futoshi?" Goro questions, "-wait, where is he anyway?" Zorome elbows him with a wide, boyish grin on his face. 

"Well...let's just say Futoshi's gotta whole surprise waiting for his _beloved_ Kokoro chan..!" 

"EH?!" Most of the group's mouth hang open in surprise. Both Hiro and Goro have equally shocked looks on their faces, while Mitsuru seemed to be fairly uninterested, opting to slide away from them and sit by his desk. Ichigo was blushing hard, imagining what scene may unfold between Futoshi and Kokoro. Ikuno was blinking rapidly, while Miku was trying to control the squeal bubbling within her throat. Zero Two had her arms placed on her hips with a smug smirk beginning to appear on her lips.

' _Things seem to be getting...interesting..'_ The pinkette thinks to herself, eyes darting towards her darling, who in turn, looks at her as well. Their eye contact sends Hiro blushing lightly, making her heart flutter over his cute reaction.

' _Ahh~ I could just eat you up, darling!'_

"Ne, Zorome! What do you mean by surpris-" before Miku could finish her sentence, they see Kokoro walk through the door with a gentle smile. Although she seemed fairly fine, the group notices she was paler than usual and had light dark rings along her eyes, probably from the lack of sleep. "Kokoro!" Miku yelps and envelops her friend in a hug, albeit carefully so she doesn't knock her out. "Miku was worried you might've gotten sick!" 

"Hm?" the young blonde hums in light confusion before giggling over her friend's protectiveness. "Im fine Miku! We've just gotten out of summer break after all..!" she tries reassuring, but Zero Two suddenly intervenes; 

"Well yeah, but heard you've been quite busy last night.." 

"Oh, well...things like that aren't new to me at all." Kokoro's laugh seems to be shaky and out of breath, yet nevertheless, her kind smile never goes out of place. "After all, I'm part of the council, right, Ichigo?" said bluenette nods before placing a hand on the blonde's shoulders, lightly squeezing it in support. 

"That's true but...next time, don't do things on your own, okay?" Ichigo winks, "..As your president, it's okay if you could depend on me, or the others more!" 

"Mm..thanks a lot, Ichigo.."

"KOKORO CHAANN!"

Kokoro's ears perk up at the sudden call of her name and once she turns around, she sees Futoshi stalking up to her with hands full of bread. His cheeks held a flushed color and it looked as if he was a bit out of breath. Concerned, the young blonde reaches out to touch him lightly on the cheek. "Are you okay, Futoshi kun?" she asks but her touch sends a sudden jolt to the boy, and immediately, he pulls away with a large blush forming. Laughing nervously, he stutters a reply; 

"Oh, um..yeah..! I'm..uh.." grabbing hold of himself, Futoshi swiftly shoves the basket of bread he'd been holding to Kokoro. In surprise, she notes how he's bread seems to be different from his usual concoctions. It was braided intricately with small heart like patterns scattered across its pink frosted shell. She could also get a faint whiff of strawberries and cream cheese. When Kokoro looks back at Futoshi, she sees him bashful and red, but nevertheless, smiling. 

"These are for you..Kokoro chan!" 

Kokoro smiles gratefully at his considerate efforts. 

"Oh! Um..thank you Futoshi kun!"

Meanwhile, with the others going back to their own businesses, Miku approaches Zorome and whispers, "Hey, what is Futoshi planning, by the way?" the young man smirks secretively at her and responds in the same, hushed tone of hers' 

"Let's just say..lover boy's gonna take things up a notch..!" 

"Ehh?! You mean-" 

"Uhuh!" Zorome affirms. "If you're REALLY curious though, then meet me near the bushes by the school gate at 5 o'clock." with her protective instincts kicking for her best friend, plus with the sudden pique of her curiosity, Miku couldn't help but agree to the boy's offer.

* * *

 __

 _After class_

"Mff..!" A soft sigh escapes Zero Two as she stretches out her long, limbs; moaning in satisfaction when she feels a few _pops_ escape her body. On instinct, her eyes immediately search for her darling, and she sees him busily fixing his stuff into his bag. Impatient, the pinkette brings two hands and cups them by the sides of her lips and calls out to Hiro with a playful drawl.

"Darliiiing!"

The pet name jolts Hiro and he finds himself looking at a Zero Two with eyes reminiscent of a puppy waiting for its master to play with it, and lips curved into a pout. Hiro found the face she was making cute and lets a quiet chuckle escape his lips. He knew she wanted to get out of the classroom as fast as they could, so immediately, he walks towards her desk. Although he was still quite shy to initiate any sort of contact, his newfound feelings had him easily extending out a hand to Zero Two. "Shall we go, Zero Two?" 

"To where..?" she asks with expectant eyes. 

With a finger inquisitively tapping on his lower lip, Hiro pauses for a while until an idea pops in his head. Hopefully, he had some cash to support his offer. "I've seen some Ice cream parlor nearby. How about we try it?" he knew just how much Zero Two loved her sweets, and it was extremely worth it to see how her eyes glowed in excitement and cheeks color happily in pink. It was clear as day how much she wanted to visit the shop. 

Quickly standing from her seat, she grabs hold of Hiro, hugging his arm close to her chest and dashes out of the classroom, babbling about how she wanted to try the different flavors available. What they didn't notice however, was the sketchbook that was sprawled on the floor left forgotten.

* * *

"Kokoro san.."

"Yes?" 

Looking over the immense pile of paperwork sitting on top of her desk, Mitsuru couldn't help but grit his teeth. He had told her after class to just go straight home and rest after the all nighter she had pulled last night. He could clearly see beneath her gentle facade how hard she was trying to keep focused, especially earlier in their history class when she was stopping herself from dozing off. Though he might've sounded harsh while telling her off, it had irked him seeing Kokoro brush him off with a grin, telling him to not worry about her. 

And yet, no matter how many times he tried convincing her, to the point of light threatening, here she was working herself to her limits.

' _..You've gotta admit though, Kokoro is still pretty admirable'_

' _Yeah..admirably stubborn.'_ his thoughts reflect his sarcastic nature. 

"You should really be going, Kokoro san. I can handle all of this." he keeps on insisting, but Kokoro reasons out to him as always, trying to sound reassuring despite the obvious shakiness of her voice. 

"I'm fine Mitsuru kun. Besides, Futoshi kun told me to meet him later by 5. I'm just doing this to kill some time, that's all.." 

"Hmph.." He looks away, annoyance welling up inside him, for some reason. "..You..really wear me out sometimes.." his eyes meet up with blue ones filled with worry and slight sadness. Her dainty hands ball up into tight fists that goes noticed by Mitsuru, and he notes to himself how she was a bit sensitive today which was probably due to stress. Afterall, no matter how kind Kokoro may be, she's still human. 

Scratching the side of his cheek as he allowed himself to look away from her doe like stare, he began, "..Actually, not just me, but the others as well, and I swear Kokoro san, if you don't stop what you're doing right now, I'll have Ichigo use her powers on you and force you to take a week break." his words shock her to the point of putting all work down and sitting robotically on the empty chair beside him.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuru kun.." 

"I've told you before..stop apologizing all the damn time.." he says dismissively. _'Especially since, you aren't at fault.'_ When Kokoro tries apologizing once more due to impulse, he quickly shoots her a hard glare, making her fidget in her seat. 

After a few moments of silence, the young blonde speaks first, "Um..What should I do then?" she asks softly, looking up at Mitsuru under her long lashes. Shrugging, he replies nonchalantly, not quite sure what exactly she should do at that moment.

"I dunno..go nap or eat that bread Futoshi gave you or something.." 

"Oh! I completely forgot about it!" Kokoro clasps her hands together in realization, before reaching towards the basket to grab a soft, frosted braid. Taking a bite, she doesn't forget to hand out some to the boy next to her, who was eyeing her with a questioning glance. "Want some, Mitsuru kun? They're pretty tasty!" she exclaims with cheeks full after taking another bite. 

"I hate sweets."

"Oh right..would you like some coffee then?"

"Kokoro san.." he sighs, "Just go rest, would you?"

* * *

"So, this is the place, huh.." Zero Two muses to herself, the sweet scent of ice cream flooding her senses she could almost taste every single flavor. With Hiro's hand still in hers' they both enter the parlor to see the usual dream like facade any dessert shop possesses. Replicas of the shop's menu offerings, such as crepes, sundaes and milkshakes were displayed by the counter had Zero Two almost drooling. 

"Hello!" the attendant greets them with a fixed smile, "What would you like to order?" 

"Oh, um.." Hiro squints at the menu, preferring to choose one of the simpler servings since he wasn't much of a sweet tooth compared to his pink haired companion. Pointing out, he says, "I'd have the mango cream crepe, please." 

The attendant nods and inputs his order into the cashier. Once done, she faces Zero Two and asks the same question. Without further hesitation, the pinkette exclaims with much fervor her order, making the poor worker almost jump in surprise.

"Banana split sundae with extra honey drizzled on top! Oh, and could you also add one extra scoop of chocolate ice cream?" just when the attendant thought Zero Two had already finished, she was left taken aback when the pinkette also orders something in the menu called, "Fluffernutter" milkshake.

' _I've met tons of customers, but never in my life had I encountered someone like her!'_ the attendant feels a bead of sweat roll down her forehead, perplexed over the tremendous love the girl had for sweets.

After paying, Hiro and Zero Two sat by the corner of the parlor, where a large stuffed teddy bear lay. The raven haired teen felt his cheeks hurt due to smiling so hard over seeing Zero Two become so snuggly with the toy. Just how cute can this girl become?! 

"Ah~ so fluffy.." A purr rolls out of her tongue. 

"You seem to be enjoying yourself, huh, Zero Two?"

At her darling's light teasing, Zero Two playfully glares at him. "I'm a girl too y'know.." her voice feigns hurt, but quickly reverts back to her cheery tone while she snuggles the bear harder to her body. "I just can't help it! This is just super soft!" 

"Even so..you're still better than any kind of stuff toy, darling.." the way she says it so seriously drives Hiro's heart beating like crazy. 

"I-is that so.." 

"Mhm- Oh!" Her eyes widen when she sees their orders have came. As the waiter placed her sundae on the table, Zero Two silently said a thankful prayer, satisfied over the fact that the real thing exceeds all of her expectations, and without further adieu, began digging in. No words were said on her part, and only delighted moans were heard from her, and the occasional slurping from her milkshake.

' _Geez, wouldn't she get a brain freeze from that?'_ Hiro thought to himself as he took a small bite from his crepe. 

' _Who am I kidding..this is Zero Two, after all!'_

"Hey, Darling.." 

Breaking out of his thoughts, Hiro finds himself staring at a spoonful of ice cream coming from Zero Two. "Uh..Zero..Two?" He slowly asks, quite unsure of what he should do next. 

"Here, have some!" She urges him with a smile and he complies. The moment the cold dessert touches his tongue, he is assaulted with a burst of sweetness that had him almost choking. Come to think about it, it wasn't THAT bad, but Hiro really didn't fair well with too much sweetness; on the other hand, he knew this was perfectly up to Zero Two's standards, so he tries to fake a smile in response to her expectant look. "How was it, darling? Good?" 

"Yeah..but I think you'd prefer not sharing it all, right?" 

"That's..!-" her cheeks color in embarrassment, knowing what Hiro said was true. "..Mou, darling! You're so mean!" the raven haired teen chuckles at her exasperation, though he doesn't react immediately when Zero Two suddenly reaches out to him and licks the corner of his mouth. His cheeks matches the color of her hair once she pulls away with a satisfied smirk. He tries complaining at the sudden heart stopper, but the pinkette cuts him off with her own queries.

"As always, darling always tastes the best.." Hiro feels his pulse quicken over what seems to be an innuendo, 

' _Although, it's safe to assume Zero Two didn't really think about its meaning..'_ he tries composing himself, but the way her gaze bore intensely at him, and how her smile was slowly starting to get rather sultry proves otherwise. 

"W..why'd you do that.." Hiro's voice comes off as shaky, giving away his nerves at the moment. He finds his throat growing dry when her index finger taps him lightly on the nose, letting out a breathy giggle.

' _She really is..'_

"-You had some leftover ice cream on your face, darling!" she exclaims before digging in once more, leaving a poor Hiro even more flustered and unable to finish his crepe.

* * *

It was already forty five minutes till five 

For the nth time, Mitsuru tries suppressing a sigh. Earlier, while he managed to stop Kokoro from overworking herself, he found himself being dragged into her silly ramblings. Over some bread and coffee (much to his chagrin, Kokoro had insisted making some coffee.), he had tried muting out her voice, yet he could still recall her stories about her and her grandma during the summer vacation, or how she asked for his opinion on what flowers she should try combining for her arrangements at the shop. 

He had to emphasize through gritted teeth how he wasn't interested in flowers and such, and although she had pouted sadly, he honestly didn't even have any knowledge on the topic, nor had he have the skill. 

"You're better off following what your gut tells you, Kokoro san.." he tells her while fiddling with his rolex. "You know the most about flower arrangements." 

"Oh not at all!" with blushed cheeks, Kokoro waves her hands in an effort to dismiss Mitsuru's statement. "Gardening and arranging flowers..those are just hobbies of mine.." she smiles to herself, remembering how light and happy she feels while tending her and her grandma's garden. "When I'm in our garden..I feel like I'm in my own little world..I can think freely and it just feels so wonderful seeing various flowers in bloom.." Mitsuru doesn't bother replying, and instead, chooses to just stare down at the gentle ripples of his coffee.

"..How about you, Mitsuru kun, what do you like doing the most?" He just rolls his eyes at her sudden inquiry.

"I'm not entirely fond of wasting my time with trivial sorts.." 

"Don't be like that, Mitsuru kun!" Kokoro lightly scolds. "Having a hobby isn't a waste of time! In fact, it actually helps you manage yourself in a way..kind of like.." she pauses for a minute, trying to come up with the right words.

"-Like..you get to calm and energize yourself; so you could focus better!"

"Tch." the olive haired youth finds himself unable to retort back at her. Begrudgingly, he mutters out an answer to her previous question.

"..Books.."

"I..beg your pardon..?" 

"I said.." he breathes in deeply, annoyed at the fact he had to repeat himself. "..during my spare time..I read books- novels to be precise." 

"Ooohh.." Kokoro stares at him with genuine curiosity; her big doll like eyes making him oddly uncomfortable. "Well..to be honest, I've kind of figured you to be someone as the bookish type- Not that it's bad or something!" she grins at him nervously. 

"So..what kind of books do you read, Mitsuru kun?" 

"..More on mystery I guess, but I've been reading Machiavelli's works for quite some time." Mitsuru states plainly. 

"Waah, you must be a really deep person, aren't you?" he merely shrugs at her sudden awe. "In my case..I like reading home care stuff, and maybe a few romance novels here and there.." a small giggle escapes her lips, slightly flustered over revealing such facts about her. "I must be really plain, huh.." 

"It's just your normal self." his reassurance comes off as rather cold, but fortunately, this does not bother the gentle blonde. 

"Anyway..besides reading, is there anything else you do Mitsuru kun?" Kokoro asks, growing ever more curious with her aloof companion. "Ikuno chan is great with guitar, so I'm assuming you'd be knowledgeable in some instruments? O-or not.."

"Violin."

"Eh?" 

"I play the violin." at his statement, Mitsuru could imagine on the pads of his fingers the feel of his bow strings. It had certainly been a while since he last picked up his violin and he secretly hopes he wouldn't be too rusty once he decides to play some time in the future. "..I started young, like seven or something, since my dad wanted me to keep my busy..same thing goes for Ikuno since it's...kind of like a family tradition of some sorts.." 

"Why'd you choose violin?" Kokoro asks, 

"It looked classy, that's all." 

The young blonde finds herself chuckling over his answer. _'As expected of Mitsuru kun..'_ Ignoring the dirty look he gave her, Kokoro asks him once more, "Ne, would you play for me, sometime?" she knew based on his personality, Mitsuru would just choose to brush her off, but it was worth a try she guessed. Ultimately, she fails to notice the slight color forming on his cheeks, yet he manages to react to her with a straight face.

"I'd rather not, thank you very much."

They stay quiet after that, with Mitsuru reading for their next lessons tomorrow and Kokoro munching on her bread while stealing glances at the stone cold boy. It was like that between them for a short while until soft snores invade Mitsuru's hearing. Turning to look at his companion, he finds himself unable to feel any sort of surprise as he sees the blonde maiden with her head resting on the table, a few bread crumbs sticking near her lips. Rolling his eyes, Mitsuru couldn't help but smirk at the scene.

"Really..you really are so hopeless…"

* * *

"Fuwaaa.." Zero Two lets out a satisfied sigh as she finishes the remnants of her milkshake, long gone was the tower of ice cream she had ordered moments ago. Across her, Hiro watched with eyes filled with awe and adoration, but quickly notices some honey smeared all over her lips, giving it a nice shimmer. He blushed at the thought of how sweet it must've tasted, yet he had to restrain himself for doing stuff similar to Zero Two. Instead, he grabs hold of some tissue and reaches out to gently wipes her mouth. Once he's done, he is met with teal eyes shining in mirth. 

"Darling's so prince like!" the pinkette gushes with his face in between her palms. 

"Erm..Zero Two..too hard.." Hiro mumbled before Zero Two lets go of his face with an apologetic grin. 

"Oops. Sorry.." 

"Mm..Anyway.." Hiro's mind drifts to something else, remembering the promise they made back at the hot springs. "..about the Tanabata festival…" uncertainty courses through his veins, and it seems his nerves were starting to get the better of him again. Glancing down, and then up once more, he sees Zero Two looking at him curiously. 

"Hrmmm..." she says, trying to recall some thoughts, "Oh..it's on Saturday, right?" Hiro nods. 

"Yeah..and I was just wondering if..we'd continue on with it.." his voice comes out as soft, slightly scared of the possibility Zero Two had changed her mind and wasn't actually interested in going at all. "I mean..back at the hot springs, I just thought about it on impulse, and..uh, if you don't wanna go then it's totally cool..I-I guess.." his sputtering is cut off when he hears Zero Two laughing out loud, the sound sending him in a flustered state. 

Wiping off an imaginary tear, Zero Two replies, "Really darling, you're so funny sometimes!" a short giggle erupts from her lips before they curl into a fond smile. "Of course I'd love to go. I've been looking forward to it the moment you asked me!" 

"..I've been looking forward for quite a long time, actually…" Hiro notices the sudden shift of her tone, sounding a bit somber at that moment. He couldn't help but feel worried.

"..Zero Two..?" He calls out, tentatively brushing his fingers along her white knuckles. "Is..something bothering you?" 

"Oh, I just remembered something.." she breathes out. 

"Would you like to talk about it..?" his question has her shaking her head slowly. 

"Nah..it wasn't important anyway." the pinkette claims, but seeing how her eyes seemed to lose a bit of its shine once she started spacing out, Hiro knew she was hiding something; her true feelings. He contemplated whether going to the festival was the right decision, but then again, Zero Two was vocal in her excitement earlier, so probably that wasn't what made her suddenly pensive. Honestly speaking, Hiro had noticed time and time again her subtle changes, like how she'd look so deep in thought until someone would shake her up.

He wondered if she was going through something, and lately, he realized he only knew little of Zero Two. She had done so much for him, and had managed to have him open up everything inside his heart and soul. Hiro knew he wanted to do the same for her.

"Hey..Zero Two?"

"Yeah..?" 

"I…" he breathes in deeply before continuing, a little more braver than before; "..I want you to speak your mind to me from now on, Zero Two..." the pinkette could clearly see the determination in his eyes, a look she rarely saw and somehow made her heart flutter.

' _Get it together..Zero Two..'_

"Ohooo.." she lets out a sound of amusement and teasing, "And why is that?"

' _I want to love all of you. To share in both your happiness and your pain. I want to be there for you till you can't stand me. I want to be the wings that'll lessen all your burdens...and in order to do so..I must..!'_

"I want to know you better, Zero Two." Hiro declares, while Zero Two could only gaze at him in silence with a small smile curved upon her lips, when she suddenly remembers something. 

"Oh! I almost forgot!" she exclaimed while grabbing her bag and hastily placing it on her lap. "I had something I wanna show you, darling!" the shimmer of excitement evident in her eyes had Hiro thinking it was probably something she has drawn in her free time. She always had the sort of expression after having some kind of artistic epiphany, and he was glad he would always be the first to see her creations. 

Yet, something felt wrong when her impatience was soon replaced with a look of unfortunate realization, her face growing pale and a light sheen of cold sweat forming on her skin.

"Is..everything alright?"

All of a sudden, Hiro is hastily pulled up by Zero Two. Pacing quickly with her long legs, the raven haired teen finds himself struggling to keep his balance, but nevertheless, trails just behind her. "Uh..Zero Two? Where..are we going?" his question comes out in short breaths. 

"We have to go back to the school!" the pinkette turns to him, never stopping. "I forgot my sketch pad at the room, I think!"

* * *

 _BZZZ! BZZ!_

From her nap, a phone suddenly starts vibrating, startling Kokoro as she lets out a small squeak. Flustered at the sound she had just made, her gaze shyly turns to Mitsuru, who was texting in the said phone. Sensing she was finally awake, Mitsuru turns to her with his usual straight expression. 

"..Kokoro san.." 

The way he says her name has her growing more flustered than earlier. "Um..have I slept for too long?" she asks softly, a nervous chuckle coming from her mouth. Thankfully, Mitsuru shakes his head. 

"Only for 20 minutes, more or less.." Kokoro sighs in relief, before asking him once more. 

"Um..what time is it, by the way?" now, instead of answering her directly, Mitsuru shows her the time through his phone. Slowly, she read _'4:57…'_

Gasping, the blonde quickly gets up from her seat and scrambles to get all her stuff, and paperwork, in her backpack. Watching her, Mitsuru couldn't help but roll his eyes. "What's the sudden hurry?" he asks her as she was about to head off for the door. It was quite a rare sight to see Kokoro seemingly out of breath. 

"I-I've told you earlier.." she began, fingers encircling the door knob firmly. "I promised Futoshi kun I'd meet him by five!" nervous, she hoped the boy wouldn't be waiting waiting for too long, given the time she would have to walk to their meeting place. To her surprise though, she finds Mitsuru standing up as well to gather his own belongings. Trudging forward, his long fingers brush against hers as he reaches for the door knob, a slight shiver raking over her at the sudden contact. Without pulling away, their gazes meet, gentle and firm, a contradiction to one another. 

"Um..Mitsuru kun..?" she whispers, cheeks glowing pink. It was unnerving on her part to be so close to a person most regarded as unbotherable, yet, she is left wondering if the man before her felt any sort of nervousness as well. That would've been more awkward in her part, of course, and luckily, that was not the case.

"It's getting late." he simply says, "You should be meeting with Futoshi, right?"

Kokoro smiles. Of course that would've never been the case.

* * *

"Yoooo, Futoshi…" Zorome drones out. "How long are we supposed to just stand here.." he knew both his friend and Kokoro were supposed to meet at five o clock, yet, thanks to Futoshi's nerves, they've been waiting at the front gate for an hour now. To be fair, Zorome had no problems helping out the guy, however, with an impatient redhead tagging along, it was impossible not to feel slightly pressured. He just knew he couldn't look Miku in the eye right now. 

"Just a few minutes more, Zorome!" Futoshi hushes him while fixing the bouquet of roses in his hold. "Kokoro chan, must've been busy at the council room.." his statement has Miku rolling her eyes. Instead of going straight home to edit her upcoming video, she chose to follow Zorome's suggestion of watching Futoshi confess to her best friend. It would've been cute of course, but then again, was today truly the right time to confess to Kokoro? Especially with how tired the poor girl was.

But who was she to complain? This was for love, for god's sakes!

"Eh?! There she is!" Futoshi exclaims loudly in panic. "Zorome! Miku! Hide!" he pushes the two together away, earning a groan from the dirty blonde and a small yelp from the other as they both land in the nearest bush. What makes things worse, is how Zorome had his face buried under Miku's skirt as they fell. Her horror stricken face was unseen by him, yet, frilly white filled his vision.

.

.

...

"...What a...childish design.." His absent minded murmur reaches Miku's reddened ears, rendering her gaping like a fish, till mortification morphs into blind rage. Grabbing a fistful of Zorome's hair, she yanks him away from her thighs. He gulps as he sees her eyes screaming bloody murder.

"Hey, look, Miku..L-let's talk about this.." he tries reasoning out, knowing further teasing could have him buried six feet under. 

"Oho..sorry Zorome.." Miku says in a sickly sweet voice. "But that won't do~" 

One smack in the head had the poor boy gasping in pain, and unfortunately, he couldn't scream for help at the moment. (especially with how Miku had him in a tight head lock.) 

"Futoshi kun, I'm sorry I'm late.." Kokoro breaths out after rushing as fast as she could to the front gates. Futoshi greets her back, although was slightly shock to find Mitsuru following behind her. A small pang of jealousy hits his chest. Though he wasn't clearly sure, Futoshi had noticed the two were always together, even outside duty. Knowing Mitsuru, he was extremely cold to everyone, even to his own friends, but one would be blind to not see the tinge of softness he had for the girl. It was like he was holding back when he was with Kokoro. 

Futoshi shakes his head slightly. _'No. It's not like that! They're just co council mates, that's all..'_ and he, of all people, should know how much Kokoro's kindness could melt even the iciest of hearts. Mitsuru is still their friend after all! 

' _And knowing Kokoro chan..she'd do her best to try and make everyone happy!'_ his heart warms at the thought. It was Kokoro's kindness that had made him fall in love in the first place. The way she was able to look past a person's flaws and appearance...how she just manages to be like a sun to all. How she would smile at him without any hidden feelings.

It was impossible for Futoshi to not fall in love with her, honestly.

And now, he wasn't gonna waste the chance to tell her how he feels. Whatever may happen, this would be a day he would never regret; the day he tells her how much he loves her.

' _She deserves all the love, after all!'_

"Kokoro chan.." his hands shake, but nevertheless, he is able to offer her the bouquet; loose petals being blown away as a warm breeze pasts through them. Kokoro's eyes shone like blue crystals, and the way her soft curls danced with the wind made her look even more beautiful in the moment. Futoshi couldn't look away, completely forgetting the olive haired man observing from a safe distance. 

His heart was now beating wildly, but now was not the time for him to go all jelly. He had to do it, now. 

"...We've known each other for quite some time..and after all these years, you've always been so kind to me- to everyone. You've always made me feel so happy, I could feel my heart throb so hard….."

"Kokoro chan..I.." he pauses, a slight fear stopping him from continuing. Futoshi was so sure up until this moment. What was stopping him? Was it the way she looked up at him without any ounce of clue even after his short speech? Or was it the way her lips was turned up into an innocent smile; a smile directed only at him, and him alone at that moment. She was always so supportive of him, and yet right now..he-

Futoshi places a hand on top of his chest, squeezing it lightly. Frozen in place, his sudden pause has Kokoro worrying over him.

"Futoshi kun…? Are you okay?" 

she asks, taking small steps forward to try and brush his hand. Her touch sending a buzzing feeling to Futoshi. The genuine look on her face and the softness of her fingertips against his knuckles made him get back to his senses, and in a sudden burst of emotion, he finally declares loud for the whole world to hear,

"I'm in love with you, Kokoro chan!"

* * *

"Darling, hurry up! We could still get my sketchbook!" Hiro huffs in reply as he tries to catch up with the pinkette's longer strides. It was tiring for the both of them, running all the way from the ice cream parlor to the school, and come to think of it, they still had to climb a few stairs to get to their room; hopefully, the janitor was still at the campus, and maybe he could've picked it up while cleaning. Hiro is lost in thought until he feels himself stumble over Zero Two as they suddenly come into a halt. 

"..oof, we're finally here.." Hunched over, relief floods his voice, as he speaks in between pants. Hiro wonders why Zero Two wasn't responding. Hastily, he looks up and finds her staring wide eyed at something. Following her stare, he sees both Futoshi and Kokoro at the school gates. The young blonde had a bouquet of roses tucked protectively in her arms, mouth left hanging slightly open; while the ginger haired boy seemed to have a hopeful look in his eyes as a blush enveloped his whole face.

"What.." the raven haired teen turns to Zero Two, unsure with what was happening between his two friends, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Futoshi-

"It seems like Futoshi had confessed to Kokoro.." Zero Two muses. "..I knew it was bound to happen..but honestly, I'm still quite surprised.." 

"Hmm..shall we continue on then, Zero Two?" Hiro suggests while gently tugging on the pinkette's hand. He too knew of Futoshi's feelings for the blonde, but he didn't think it was right for the both of them to ogle at the two; it was their private discussion after all. Zero Two complied easily, but they stop in their tracks when they hear Futoshi speak up.

"I..I love you so much Kokoro chan! And..and...I want to be someone you could depend on. Someone who'll care for you and make sure you're never hurt, and if you could give me a chance I..I…" Futoshi takes a deep breath, clearly overwhelmed by everything. "..I'll make you the greatest bread and even better! I'll make you the happiest girl in the world! I love you..I love you so much!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a short silence ensued among them all. Zero Two, Hiro, and even Mitsuru, were greatly surprised over Futoshi's sudden assertiveness. Miku and Zorome, who stopped struggling long ago, were gaping with blushing faces over the sickening sweetness and mushiness of the confession. Kokoro, however, seemed to be standing with an unreadable expression, and it wasn't long until she began, a soft smile on her face that made Futoshi's heart silently wish she'd accept his feelings of love.

"Futoshi kun..I-

* * *

hello everyone! it's been quite a long time since I've written the last chapter, dont ya think? well, as much as I've wanted to update, school had been quite tough and honestly, I went through some mentally exhausting events recently; BUT! Im finally on break ANDDD very energized and inspired to write once more! I'm really happy I finally gotten to write for ya'll and I hope you liked this chapter (though I apologize if you'd find my writing a lil rusty; it's been quite a while, and I've been trying to experiment a little more.)

anyway, we're approaching a new story arc, and based on my time frame, we're quite nearing the good bits of this story. hope you all enjoy and continue supporting Hello Darling!

also, Happy 2019 guys!


	38. author's note

**Author's note:**

Hey guys, so I saw some reviews that were slightly concerned about issues of plagiarism regarding this fic and 'Your Smile in the Spring.' first of all, I'd like to thank those who immediately called my attention, but I'd like to clarify things too.

First and foremost, I have NEVER read the fic mentioned above (please don't kill me.) in fact, I dont read any kind of AU regarding DITF; I mean, nothing personal, it's just, I dont want myself getting ideas from other fics because it feels unoriginal.

Buuut, since my fic is also an AU, I think it's very possible for some scenes to be similar since some stories follow certain tropes and stereotypes (something I'm guilty of, since I've kinda watched and read a few anime/manga/kdrama.). Anyway-

As for similar lines, I modify some lines from the anime just to create the illusion of parallelism between my universe and the anime for the readers to relate to. I try incorporating some themes from the original story with some modern elements. By no way, in any means, have I copied from another fic- I mean, I'd be a complete idiot to do so.

In fact, WHY THE HELL WOULD I ENDANGER MY CREDIBILITY AS A FANFIC WRITER BY COPYING FROM AN APPARENTLY WELL KNOWN FIC? I mean, I still haven't started reading Your Smile, but I saw the tags in Ao3 and I find it a big coincidence that the writer too tackles on the theme of mental illness (I think?)

Hello darling is just one part of a whole story and I've already planned things AGES ago (reddit users might've encountered by modern AU Headcanons). If some of ya'll are really uncomfortable about some similar scenes, I'd be happy to receive your comments privately, or better yet, you are free to drop this series. If I also have the time, I could rewrite some upcoming parts in a more original way (in my standards of course.)

Anywho, to the author of Your Smile, I humbly apologize if you get the wrong idea with this fic! I never intended to write some scenes similar to yours. I'll also start reading your fic to avoid any problems again in the future. To those who called me out, I'm not asking you to believe me in an instant, but I really do hope this clarifies a few things. Lastly, to those who support this fic, thank you so much for sticking with me and I hope you keep on enjoying till the end!

Love Ya'll!


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